Six-year-old boy drowns after falling into Sg Dua canal

KEPALA BATAS - A six-year-old boy drowned after falling into the Sungai Dua canal at Jalan Bertam Perdana 2 here today.

Penang Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) assistant director (Operations) John Sagun Francis said the victim, Muhammad Aryan Hakim Muhammad Jamaluddin, was found floating about three kilometres from where he was reported to have fallen.

He said the department received a call at 5.03pm and dispatched a team from the Bertam and Kepala Batas fire and rescue stations to the scene.

"At the time of the incident, the victim was believed to have been playing with a friend at the water’s edge before slipping and falling into the canal.

"The operations commander conducted a size-up while wearing full personal protective equipment (PPE), carried out an initial assessment and proceeded with search and rescue operations using the water surface searching method,” he said in a statement today.

John Sagun said that at 5.29 pm, they received information from the public that the victim had been found drifting about three kilometres from where he fell, before the rescue team entered the canal to retrieve him and administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

He said the victim was then handed over to the Health Ministry medical team, who confirmed his death, before the body was released to police and sent to Kepala Batas Hospital for further action. - BERNAMA