JITRA – Six family members, including a baby, who were found dead, are believed to have attempted to escape from their car after it plunged into Sungai Korok here, but were unsuccessful.
Kedah Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) Zone 1 Chief, Senior Fire Superintendent I Ahmad Aminuddin Abd Rahim said all the victims were found huddled together in the rear seat of a Proton Saga, which was submerged at the bottom of the river.
According to him, the rescue team found all victims on the left rear side of the car.
"During the rescue operation, we found all the victims in the back seat. It's possible they tried to escape but failed," he said at a press conference at the scene on Monday.
The victims have been identified as Muhammad Azim Izat Ishak, 32, his wife, Nurul Hidayah Khadijah Razman Efendi, 31 and their four children – Putra Rayyan Nur Izat, 9, Hawa Adriana, 8, Anayla Huma’ira, 7 and Tuah Haidar, six months.
Aminuddin said the fire department had to break the car windows and cut through the vehicle's body to retrieve the victims.
"When bodies have been submerged for a certain period, they swell and make extraction through regular doors difficult.
"So, we had to break the rear window and cut the car structure to retrieve the victims," he said.
He added that the distance between the car and the riverbank was only about one metre, while the river was estimated to be six metres deep and approximately 7.6 metres wide.
"The operation was not too difficult because the car was already floating and could be pulled to the bank," he added.
It was reported that a couple and their four children, including a six-month-old baby, were reported missing after spending the night at a relative's house in Taman Aman since Saturday morning.
Their disappearance was noticed when they failed to return to their home in Jerlun and could not be contacted.
Azim’s younger sister, Nur Adliah Shuhada said her brother and his family had come to stay at her house on Friday night as they usually did.