MELAKA: "He was very affectionate...he liked to kiss me on the cheek while saying Azhan loves Mak!," said the mother of Badrol Azhan Nizam Bachik, nine, whose body was found in a canal in Kampung Gelam, Tanjung Keling, here, this morning.

Rohana Sukiman, 43, said although many had said to her that Badrol Azhan would be found safely, her mother's instincts told her he was gone.

"I had a feeling that Badrol Azhan's body was in the canal," she told reporters, when met at the Forensic Department of the Melaka Hospital here.

The search and rescue operation for two drowning victims in Kampung Gelam, Tanjung Keling, here was called off after the second body was found at 9.35 am today.

Melaka Fire and Rescue Department operations management head Zulkhairani Ramli said the body of Badrul Azhan was found near that of the first victim, Muhammad Fakhrullah Rozami, nine.

He said Muhmmad Fakhrullah's body was recovered at 8 pm yesterday.

The two boys went missing while playing in the canal with Muhammad Fakhrullah's twin brother Muhammad Fakruddin yesterday afternoon.

Rohana said said she only knew about the incident through a WhatsApp group yesterday.

"Upon receiving the news, I rushed to the house of Muhammad Fakhruddin and Muhammad Fakhrullah who were close friends of my son.

"My late son had told me that he wanted to go out and play with his friends at 3 pm. He would normally return home before the Maghrib prayer, but failed to come back after dark," she said.

Meanwhile, Muhammad Fakhrullah's father, Rozami Mat Hassan, 47, said he did not expect the joy of the youngest of the six siblings accompanying him to his farm yesterday afternoon would turn into a tragedy.

"After a few hours, I took him (Muhammad Fakrullah) home about 500 metres from the farm for lunch," he said.

The army retiree said he then went into his room to take a rest before several villagers came to his house informing about the incident.

Rozami said he immediately rushed to the scene and managed to recover Muhammad Fakhrullah's body.

"I tried to to administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on my son but to no avail. I then took him to the Tanjung Kling Health Clinic for assistance but he was pronounced dead," he added.

-- BERNAMA