ALOR SETAR: A mother and son went out to buy nasi lemak but ended up being swept away by strong currents while attempting to wade through flash floods in a village near here.
Villager Mohd Sofi Rhazalee described seeing single mother Salmah Mat Zain, 46, and her son, Muhammad Rosman Rohaidi, 19, who is a person with disabilities, struggling in the fast-flowing floodwaters in Kampung Tanjung Kiri, near Kuala Nerang, Kedah, yesterday morning.
The body of the teenager was found at 5.25pm in an oil palm plantation, about 150m from the spot where he and his mother were last seen, following a 10-hour search and rescue operation.
Eyewitness Mohd Sofi, 39, who was returning from buying breakfast, recounted how he spotted Salmah and her son clinging to a rubber tree after they failed to cross the road.
He said he shouted for them to turn back but Salmah lost her grip and her son tried to pull her back.
Despite efforts from Mohd Sofi and other villagers, mother and son were eventually swept away by the currents.
It was reported that they rode their motorcycle over 3km to buy nasi lemak although the main road was flooded.
However, on their way home, they parked their motorcycle at a resident’s house and attempted to brave the floodwaters by foot.
Kedah Fire and Rescue Department Zone 1 chief Ahmad Aminudin Abd Rahim said that the search for Salmah was still ongoing.
“The teenage victim’s body was found entangled in palm fronds, about 150m from where they were last seen, submerged under the floodwaters.
“We will continue the search and rescue operation until 7pm and will resume tomorrow if we are unable to locate his mother,” he told reporters at the scene after Rosman’s body was sent to Hospital Sultanah Bahiyah for a post-mortem.
Earlier in the day, Bernama quoted a statement by Kuala Nerang Fire and Rescue Department head Aminuddin Mad Khozali saying that the department was attempting to contact the victims’ family and relatives to gather more details.
