Bentong tragedy: Body of boy found, one person still missing

BENTONG: The body of a boy, believed to be one of the victims feared drowned at a chalet in Bentong, Pahang, following a mud flood incident on Dec 18, was found today.

Bentong Fire and Rescue Station chief Mohd Zamri Abdul Ghani said the remains of the child were recovered at about 10.30 am.

He said the body was found floating and trapped in a pile of wood at the edge of the forest area near the Karak Highway heading to Kuala Lumpur, about one kilometre from the scene.

"We found the body at KM 66.2," he told Bernama at the scene.

He said the identity of the boy has yet to be established, but the department believed that the body was that of Emmanuel Chang, 6.

"We will call his parents for the identification process," said Mohd Zamri.

He said the search and rescue (SAR) operation began at 9.40 am involving 26 members of the Fire and Rescue Department and the Civil Defence Force.

He added the SAR operation is still ongoing with the assistance of two K9 tracker dogs to locate the last victim who is also the owner of the chalet, Bobby Lim Yoke Hoong.

Yesterday, the body of a woman was found at 10.15 am and identified as Yap Koon Lan, 66.

On Saturday, more than 30 people, including nine children, faced anxious moments when they were stranded in a mud flood while putting up at chalet in Bentong, Pahang.

-- BERNAMA