
Kupang couple's Aidiladha preparations disrupted by surprise snake visitor
BALING: An elderly couple in Kampung Bukit Iboi, Kupang, received a nasty shock last night when a King Cobra slithered into their home as they were preparing for the Aidiladha celebration.
Baling Fire and Rescue Station chief Zulkhairi Mat Tanjil said they received a call about the three-metre-long snake at 10.40pm yesterday.
He said the team found the King Cobra behaving aggressively and slithering along a brick wall towards the roof vent.
Their task was further complicated when the snake hid in narrow roof crevices, making it harder to capture.
"Firefighters used specialised equipment to capture the snake, which took about 20 minutes.
"The operation had to be carried out with great caution to prevent the snake from escaping," he said today.
Zulkhairi noted that from Jan 1 until today, the department has received 200 emergency calls - 50 of which involved snake-catching incidents in the district.
Related Articles
Nation Jan 13, 2025 @ 9:18pm
Unwelcome guest: 4-metre King Cobra startles man in Sik [WATCH]
Nation May 10, 2025 @ 9:55pm
Python caught attempting to swallow goat in Baling
Nation Mar 15, 2025 @ 1:37am
Civil Defence women tackle king cobras, pythons with skill
Nation Jan 12, 2025 @ 6:00pm
Cops on the hunt for Baling arsonist

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


New Straits Times
38 minutes ago
- New Straits Times
'He was my hope': Stepfather mourns teen killed in m-cycle crash before Aidiladha
KUALA MUDA: Abdul Hamid Hassan broke down in tears on the morning of Hari Raya Aidiladha today, overcome with grief as thoughts of his late stepson, Muhammad Fahmi Jamel, 19, flooded his mind. The 54-year-old odd job worker said this year's celebration felt empty without Fahmi, who had shown much promise as a welding student at the National Youth Skills Institute (IKBN) Jitra branch. "He was a good child. "He never talked back, and I would never lay a hand on him. "He was my hope, he was my 'orang kuat' (strong man)," he said, his voice breaking as he spoke at their home in Jeniang Town. Fahmi was one of three 19-year-old students from IKBN Jitra who were killed in a road accident while riding home on two motorcycles to celebrate Aidiladha. The other victims were Muhamad Habil Mohd Sobri from Gurun and Muhamad Arif Aifan Derani from Bukit Selambau, Sungai Petani. Another student, Muhammad Adib Aiman Mohamad Hasan, also 19, who was riding pillion, is currently receiving treatment at Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital. Fahmi's mother, Siti Fatimah Mat Rejab, 45, said her son had been looking forward to wearing a new black outfit – a matching shirt and trousers – that he had ordered days earlier. "It's difficult to accept, but I've come to terms with it. "Alhamdulillah, he passed away peacefully, on a blessed day. "He was excited to come home. The clothes arrived on Tuesday… he would have worn them today," she said, holding back tears. She said Fahmi, who was well-loved by his peers, had planned to spend Hari Raya Aidiladha with his hometown friends. "He had many friends. "He planned to celebrate Raya with them and made a lot of memories with them. "Whenever he was back home, you could always hear him playing the guitar and singing in his room. "We still can't bring ourselves to enter that room," she added. Fahmi was laid to rest at 1am today at a cemetery near their grandfather's home in Kampung Berona Kanan, Sik, next to his grandfather, Mat Rejab Awang Kecil. A similarly sombre atmosphere lingered at the home of Habil in Kampung Lubuk Reba, Padang Lembu, Gurun. His parents, Mohd Sobri Kamis, 47, and Sarah Abdul Rasid, 41, were still reeling from the loss. "I told myself I have to accept this as fate – that my son is gone and this is Allah's will… but it's painful, as it came as a major shock to us because he was healthy this whole time," said Sarah, a Quran and Fardhu Ain (Kafa) teacher. The family had planned a surprise balik kampung trip to Bagan Serai, Perak, for the holiday, which was cancelled following the tragedy. "We didn't tell him because we knew he'd be overjoyed. We had everything ready and were just waiting for him to come home," said Sobri, who was holding a blue shirt meant for Habil – the family's Aidiladha theme colour. In tears, Sobri said Habil had dreamed of working as a welder on offshore platforms and was seen as the family's hope for the future. "We buried him in a nearby cemetery, and Alhamdulillah, the process went smoothly. Everything was completed by around 1am this morning," he said.


New Straits Times
38 minutes ago
- New Straits Times
He was my 'orang kuat', stepfather says of student killed in crash
KUALA MUDA: Abdul Hamid Hassan broke down in tears on the morning of Hari Raya Aidiladha today, at the memory of his late stepson, Muhammad Fahmi Jamel, 19. The 54-year-old odd-job worker said this year's celebration felt empty without Fahmi, who had shown much promise as a welding student at the National Youth Skills Institute (IKBN) Jitra branch. "He was a good kid. Whatever I said, he never fought back and I would never lay a hand on him. "He was my hope, he was my 'orang kuat'," he said, voice breaking, at their home in Jeniang. Fahmi was one of three 19-year-old IKBN Jitra students killed on Thursday in a road accident while riding home on two motorcycles to celebrate Aidiladha. The other victims were Muhamad Habil Mohd Sobri from Gurun and Muhamad Arif Aifan Derani from Bukit Selambau, Sungai Petani. Another student, Muhammad Adib Aiman Mohamad Hasan, also 19, who was riding pillion, is receiving treatment at Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital. Fahmi's mother, Siti Fatimah Mat Rejab, 45, said her son had been looking forward to wearing a new matching set of shirt and trousers, he had ordered days earlier. "It's difficult to accept, but I've come to terms with it. Alhamdulillah, he passed away peacefully, on a blessed day. "He was excited to come home. The clothes arrived on Tuesday… he would have worn them today," she said, holding back tears. She said Fahmi, who was well-loved by his peers, had planned to spend Hari Raya Aidiladha with his hometown friends. "He had many friends, he planned to celebrate Raya with them, he made a lot of memories with them. "Whenever he's back at home, you could always hear him playing the guitar and singing in his room. We still can't bring ourselves to enter that room," she added. Fahmi was buried at 1am yesterday at a cemetery near their grandfather's home in Kampung Berona Kanan in Sik, next to his grandfather, Mat Rejab Awang Kecil. A similar sombre atmosphere lingered at the home of Habil in Kampung Lubuk Reba, Padang Lembu, Gurun. His parents, Mohd Sobri Kamis, 47, and Sarah Abdul Rasid, 41, are still reeling from the loss. "I told myself I have to accept this as fate, that my son is gone and this is Allah's will. But this is painful as it came as a major shock to us because he was healthy this whole time," said Sarah, a Quran and Fardhu Ain (Kafa) teacher. The family had planned a surprise balik kampung trip to Bagan Serai, Perak, for the holiday, which was cancelled following the tragedy. "We didn't tell him because we knew he'd be overjoyed. We had everything ready and were just waiting for him to come home," said Sobri, who was holding a blue shirt meant for Habil — the family's Aidiladha theme colour. In tears, Sobri said Habil had dreamed of working as a welder on offshore platforms and was seen as the family's hope for the future. "We buried him in a nearby cemetery, and Alhamdulillah, it went smoothly. Everything was completed by around 1am," he said.


New Straits Times
2 hours ago
- New Straits Times
'We made the wrong turn': Final words of woman in Jerantut crash that killed 5
JERANTUT: Housewife Norhayati Ismail was filled with excitement as four of her nieces and nephews from Bota, Perak, were on their way to celebrate Hari Raya Aidiladha at her home in Kampung Paya Gunung for the first time. Just past midnight earlier today, the 60-year-old was on the phone giving them directions to her house. They were less than 500 metres from the main junction when the call suddenly went silent. Moments later, she heard faint voices on the line saying "pengsan" (fainted) and "kemalangan" (accident), prompting her to ask her son to check their last known location. Shortly after, she received the devastating news that none of them had survived the crash. The four siblings, including another relative who was driving the Proton Bezza, were killed at the scene. Three others, including a woman travelling in a Toyota Alphard, sustained injuries. Speaking about the tragic incident, Norhayati said her niece, Nur Arfiqah Aziz Jaafar, 23, had called her shortly after midnight to inform her that they were nearby but had taken a wrong turn. "Arfiqah said they had entered a junction near a restaurant. "I told them to turn back and head to the next junction near Jerantut Feri. "We spoke for about five minutes before the call suddenly went silent. "Sometime later, I heard people speaking, but it was unclear until someone mentioned 'pengsan' and 'kemalangan'. "I sensed something was wrong and told my son to go check," she told reporters outside the forensic unit at Jerantut Hospital today. Norhayati said that at about 12.50am, her son, Muhammad Azuwan Arif Shah, 34, called to inform her that the car his four cousins were travelling in had been involved in an accident. Meanwhile, Azuwan said that after receiving the call from his mother, he rushed to the main road nearby to investigate. "When I arrived at the scene, it was chaotic. I saw two of them lying inside the car, while another was sprawled on the road. "Some passers-by had stopped to help. We found two other victims lying about 10 metres from the car," he said. Azuwan said that once the post-mortem procedures are completed, the victims' remains would be brought back to their hometown in Padang Kunchor, Bota, Perak, for burial. Norhayati said several other relatives had arrived in two cars on Thursday to celebrate Aidiladha at her home, while the crash victims were the last group to depart from Perak around 6pm yesterday.