Three drowning victims buried in common grave

Syariatul Nurfatihah Mohd Dera, 28, her sister Syariatul Noor Syafiqa, 26, and their cousin Siti Aisyah Mazlan, 19, were laid to rest at the Kampung Hilir Maras Muslim cemetery near Bukit Rakit here at 4 am.

The mother of the two sisters, Sarimah Awang, 62, said despite feeling shocked for losing her two daughters, including the fourth and youngest child, she accepted it as fated.

"I am at a loss for words. But I take it as a test from Allah," she told reporters when met at the Setiu Hospital forensic unit last night.

Sarimah said she and several other family members were also at the picnic but decided to return earlier to their home in Kampung Hilir Maras near Bukit Rakit.

"As soon as I reached home, I got a call from an individual asking me to contact the Fire and Rescue Department. I thought a fire had broken out but it turned out that my children and niece drowned.

"I do not know who fell into the water first. But I was made to understand that my eldest daughter (Syariatul Syafira) wanted to help them but she almost drowned too.

"Thank God, she was saved and is now receiving treatment in a hospital," she added.

Sarimah said the three victims had been close since childhood and often spent time together.

She said her family often visited Sungai Lata Changkah but yesterday was the first time they had a picnic at the site of the tragedy, which was quite deep inside and did not have many visitors.

In a statement yesterday, Setiu district police chief DSP Affandi Hussin said it was learnt that tragedy struck when the trio fell into the river at about 2.30 pm.