Latest news with #Irruwan
New Straits Times
06-05-2025
- New Straits Times
Orang Asli father loses all five children after sons drown in river
MACHANG: Two Orang Asli brothers who drowned while fishing in Sungai Gilat were the last surviving children of their parents, who have now lost all five of their children. Their father, Rantau Atan, 45, said his sons—18-year-old Irruwan and 16-year-old Rahidi—had worked alongside him in oil palm estates and recently on a watermelon plantation in Kuala Krai. "They were good boys. Always willing to help since young. They supported us in any way they could," he said at the Machang Hospital Forensic Medicine Unit. The siblings were swept away by strong currents and a whirlpool yesterday while fishing with relatives. Their bodies were recovered this morning at separate locations along the river. Rantau, who identified his sons' bodies today, said he was shocked by their deaths as both were good swimmers. But the grief was compounded by the fact that they were his only surviving children. "Before this, we lost three daughters—one in a road accident, two to illness. Now, it's just me and my wife," he said. The boys' remains will be taken back to Kampung Deraman in Rompin, Pahang, for burial. The family had been in Kuala Krai for a week-long job tending to watermelons, along with over 30 other Orang Asli workers from their village. — BERNAMA
Malay Mail
05-05-2025
- Malay Mail
‘They just wanted to help me farm' — grandfather devastated as teen grandsons feared drowned in Kelantan river
KUALA KRAI, May 5 — A grandfather did not expect the first trip with his two grandsons would end in tragedy after they are feared to have drowned in Sungai Kampung Kilat here Saturday. The victims, Irruwan Rantau, 17, and Rahidi Rantau, 16, with their grandfather Hamzah Yahya, 62, and 30 other workers arrived last week to work on a watermelon farm here. It was the first time the brothers from the Jakun tribe had followed their grandfather out of Rompin, Pahang. 'My two grandsons were eager to help me plant watermelon seeds. But I never imagined it would end like this,' he told reporters at the scene yesterday. Hamzah said that before the incident, both grandsons told him they were going fishing by the riverbank. Shortly after, their cousin rushed home in a panic, saying that Rahidi and Irruwan had drowned while swimming. 'I rushed to the river with two of my sons. We searched and called out (their names) but saw nothing. In the end, I lodged a police report,' he said. He said the parents of the victims from Rompin arrived at the scene at 11am today after being informed about the tragedy. Since morning, Hamzah has been waiting at the riverbank, hoping that each sound of the current and every ripple on the water could signal the return of his grandchildren. But as time passes, all that remains is a prayer growing fainter with each moment. 'They came to help me earn a living, but in the end, I lost two grandchildren at once,' lamented Hamzah, still struggling to come to terms with his loss. Meanwhile, Rosyam Nor, 14, the cousin of the victims, who witnessed the heartbreaking incident, said the three of them had gone to the river to search for worms to use as fishing bait. 'Irruwan invited us to go swimming, but I warned him against it because the current was strong, but he insisted on going,' he said. Rosyam added that Irruwan started to struggle in the water not even five minutes later, and Rahidi jumped in to save his brother, but the strong current swept them away. 'I ran back home. It took me a while to tell my grandmother because I was too shocked. But I had to eventually, as I was afraid they might be swept further away,' he said. Meanwhile, Sungai Durian Fire and Rescue Station chief Zulhilmi Baharudin said that the search and rescue (SAR) operation for the two victims has not yielded any leads. He said the team was focusing on the area where the victims were last seen, but strong currents have made the search challenging. He added that the search will resume Monday morning due to the river's strong current, unpredictable weather, and safety concerns for the rescue team. 'The search radius for both victims today extended between five to ten kilometres from the incident site, but no leads were found. 'Yesterday's operation involved conducting surface searches, underwater diving, and patrols using boats organised into several designated search zones,' he said. He explained that today's SAR operation involved 48 personnel and included members from the Water Rescue Team (PPDA) from the Pengkalan Chepa and Machang Fire and Rescue Stations, as well as the Royal Malaysia Police and Civil Defence Force with local villagers and orchard owners also provided assistance. — Bernama
Daily Express
05-05-2025
- Daily Express
Grandfather's first trip with grandsons ends in tragedy
Published on: Monday, May 05, 2025 Published on: Mon, May 05, 2025 By: Bernama Text Size: Shortly after, their cousin rushed home in a panic, saying that Rahidi and Irruwan had drowned while swimming. - Pic for illustration only KUALA KRAI: A grandfather did not expect the first trip with his two grandsons would end in tragedy after they are feared to have drowned in Sungai Kampung Kilat here yesterday. The victims, Irruwan Rantau, 17, and Rahidi Rantau, 16, with their grandfather Hamzah Yahya, 62, and 30 other workers arrived last week to work on a watermelon farm here. It was the first time the brothers from the Jakun tribe had followed their grandfather out of Rompin, Pahang. 'My two grandsons were eager to help me plant watermelon seeds. But I never imagined it would end like this,' he told reporters at the scene today. Hamzah said that before the incident, both grandsons told him they were going fishing by the riverbank. Shortly after, their cousin rushed home in a panic, saying that Rahidi and Irruwan had drowned while swimming. 'I rushed to the river with two of my sons. We searched and called out (their names) but saw nothing. In the end, I lodged a police report,' he said. He said the parents of the victims from Rompin arrived at the scene at 11 am today after being informed about the tragedy. Since morning, Hamzah has been waiting at the riverbank, hoping that each sound of the current and every ripple on the water could signal the return of his grandchildren. But as time passes, all that remains is a prayer growing fainter with each moment. 'They came to help me earn a living, but in the end, I lost two grandchildren at once,' lamented Hamzah, still struggling to come to terms with his loss. Meanwhile, Rosyam Nor, 14, the cousin of the victims, who witnessed the heartbreaking incident, said the three of them had gone to the river to search for worms to use as fishing bait. 'Irruwan invited us to go swimming, but I warned him against it because the current was strong, but he insisted on going,' he said. Rosyam added that Irruwan started to struggle in the water not even five minutes later, and Rahidi jumped in to save his brother, but the strong current swept them away. 'I ran back home. It took me a while to tell my grandmother because I was too shocked. But I had to eventually, as I was afraid they might be swept further away,' he said. Meanwhile, Sungai Durian Fire and Rescue Station chief Zulhilmi Baharudin said that the search and rescue (SAR) operation for the two victims has not yielded any leads. He said the team was focusing on the area where the victims were last seen, but strong currents have made the search challenging. He added that the search will resume tomorrow morning due to the river's strong current, unpredictable weather, and safety concerns for the rescue team. 'The search radius for both victims today extended between five to ten kilometres from the incident site, but no leads were found. 'Today's operation involved conducting surface searches, underwater diving, and patrols using boats organised into several designated search zones,' he said. He explained that today's SAR operation involved 48 personnel and included members from the Water Rescue Team (PPDA) from the Pengkalan Chepa and Machang Fire and Rescue Stations, as well as the Royal Malaysia Police and Civil Defence Force with local villagers and orchard owners also provided assistance. * Follow us on Instagram and join our Telegram and/or WhatsApp channel(s) for the latest news you don't want to miss. * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
The Sun
05-05-2025
- The Sun
Grandfather's first trip with grandsons ends in tragedy
KUALA KRAI: A grandfather did not expect the first trip with his two grandsons would end in tragedy after they are feared to have drowned in Sungai Kampung Kilat here yesterday. The victims, Irruwan Rantau, 17, and Rahidi Rantau, 16, with their grandfather Hamzah Yahya, 62, and 30 other workers arrived last week to work on a watermelon farm here. It was the first time the brothers from the Jakun tribe had followed their grandfather out of Rompin, Pahang. 'My two grandsons were eager to help me plant watermelon seeds. But I never imagined it would end like this,' he told reporters at the scene today. Hamzah said that before the incident, both grandsons told him they were going fishing by the riverbank. Shortly after, their cousin rushed home in a panic, saying that Rahidi and Irruwan had drowned while swimming. 'I rushed to the river with two of my sons. We searched and called out (their names) but saw nothing. In the end, I lodged a police report,' he said. He said the parents of the victims from Rompin arrived at the scene at 11 am today after being informed about the tragedy. Since morning, Hamzah has been waiting at the riverbank, hoping that each sound of the current and every ripple on the water could signal the return of his grandchildren. But as time passes, all that remains is a prayer growing fainter with each moment. 'They came to help me earn a living, but in the end, I lost two grandchildren at once,' lamented Hamzah, still struggling to come to terms with his loss. Meanwhile, Rosyam Nor, 14, the cousin of the victims, who witnessed the heartbreaking incident, said the three of them had gone to the river to search for worms to use as fishing bait. 'Irruwan invited us to go swimming, but I warned him against it because the current was strong, but he insisted on going,' he said. Rosyam added that Irruwan started to struggle in the water not even five minutes later, and Rahidi jumped in to save his brother, but the strong current swept them away. 'I ran back home. It took me a while to tell my grandmother because I was too shocked. But I had to eventually, as I was afraid they might be swept further away,' he said. Meanwhile, Sungai Durian Fire and Rescue Station chief Zulhilmi Baharudin said that the search and rescue (SAR) operation for the two victims has not yielded any leads. He said the team was focusing on the area where the victims were last seen, but strong currents have made the search challenging. He added that the search will resume tomorrow morning due to the river's strong current, unpredictable weather, and safety concerns for the rescue team. 'The search radius for both victims today extended between five to ten kilometres from the incident site, but no leads were found. 'Today's operation involved conducting surface searches, underwater diving, and patrols using boats organised into several designated search zones,' he said. He explained that today's SAR operation involved 48 personnel and included members from the Water Rescue Team (PPDA) from the Pengkalan Chepa and Machang Fire and Rescue Stations, as well as the Royal Malaysia Police and Civil Defence Force with local villagers and orchard owners also provided assistance.
Free Malaysia Today
04-05-2025
- General
- Free Malaysia Today
Grandfather's first trip with teenage grandsons ends in tragedy
Members of fire and rescue services on the scene in Kuala Krai where the boys had gone swimming. (JBPM pic) KUALA KRAI : A grandfather's first trip out of Rompin, Pahang, with his two teenage grandsons ended in tragedy after they were swept away while swimming in a river here and are feared to have drowned. The two grandsons, Irruwan Rantau, 17, and Rahidi Rantau, 16, had come with their grandfather Hamzah Yahya, 62, and 30 other workers to work on a watermelon farm here. They arrived last week. It was the first time the brothers, who are from the Jakun tribe, had followed their grandfather out of Rompin, Pahang. 'My two grandsons were eager to help me plant watermelon seeds,' Hamzah told reporters at the scene today. 'They came to help me earn a living, but in the end, I lost two grandchildren at once.' He said the boys' parents arrived this morning. Hamzah said the two boys had told him they were going fishing by the river bank. Shortly afterwards, their cousin rushed home in a panic, saying that Rahidi and Irruwan had drowned while swimming. The cousin, Rosyam Nor, 14, said the three of them had gone to the river to search for worms to use as bait. 'Irruwan invited us to go swimming, I warned him against it because the current was strong, but he insisted on going,' he said. About five minutes later, Irruwan started to struggle in the water and Rahidi jumped in to save his brother, but the strong current swept them away. Sungai Durian fire and rescue department chief Zulhilmi Baharudin said that a search had not yielded any leads. Strong currents have made the search challenging, he said.
