Three children drown: Family leaves it to fate

SETIU: Losing the only daughter to a tragedy is hard to swallow, what more when she is the lifeblood of the family.

But that is the dilemma Che Mohd Humaizi Che Jemani, 38, has to face when his only daughter Nurulhasha Humaira, 11, was found drowned with two of her cousins at the river-mouth of Kampung Mangkuk here earlier in the morning.

A distraught Che Mohd Humaizi said Nurulhasha Humaira who is the eldest child, was a good-hearted girl, jovial and always looked after her three siblings.

"They had gone to the river estuary in the past week and my daughter was delighted to camp there and search for clams. So she returned to the same site with her cousins.

"I had spoken to my siblings and they too agreed to go along to that location yesterday morning. But alas, I never expected it was to be our last moment of happiness," he said when met at the Forensics Unit of Hospital Setiu here today.

In the 5.30 pm incident yesterday, six children who were looking for clams with their family were lost in a sudden tidal surge. Only three were saved while another three were found drowned early this morning.

The first body, Nur Amni Insyirah Saiful Tarmizi, 9, was found by rescuers at 1.08 am, 800 metres from where she was reported missing whereas the second body -- brother of Nur Amni Insyirah, Muhammad Aryan Faheem aged 7 -- was found at 1.47 am, 1.5 km away from where the first body was retrieved.

The body of Nurulhasha Humaira was found at 8.15 am, five metres away from where they were first reported missing.

Nurulhasha Humaira was a Year Five pupil of Sekolah Kebangsaan Kampung Bukit, Kuala Terengganu, whereas Nur Amni Insyirah and her younger brother, Muhammad Aryan Faheem were Year 3 and Year 1 students at SK Chabang Tiga, Kuala Terengganu.

Recalling the incident, Che Mohd Humaizi said he received a phone call from his wife Nurulhuda Abd Rahman, 38, who was frantic after realising their only daughter and two others (niece and nephew) failed to be saved.

"At that time, I was fishing with a friend about 500 metres from the scene. My wife and her siblings were keeping an eye on the children, but the tragedy struck suddenly... Even though we are devastated, we leave it to Allah's will.

"The three of them will be buried together at the Kampung Losong Panglima Perang cemetery, Kuala Terengganu," he said, expressing his gratitude to the rescue team and public for prayers and rendering assistance to them.

-- BERNAMA