Teenager drowns while attempting to rescue friend at Langkawi waterfall
ALOR SETAR, Jan 17 — A 17-year-old teenager drowned while trying to save a friend at a waterfall in Langkawi, police confirmed.
The victim, Muhammad Hafiz Zaini, was swimming with three friends at the Lubuk Semilang Recreational Forest waterfall when the incident occurred yesterday.
Langkawi District Police Chief, ACP Khairul Azhar Nuruddin, stated that one friend fell into a deep-water area, prompting the victim to attempt a rescue.
"The victim immediately entered that area to rescue his friend, but as he did not know how to swim, he drowned," he said in a statement.
Two friends managed to rescue the first friend, but could not save the victim, who had already submerged.
The friends contacted emergency services at 999, and the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department located the body at approximately 2:35 pm.
The victim was found wedged between rocks in water about 4.5 meters deep, and his body was sent to Sultanah Maliha Hospital for a post-mortem.
Kedah JBPM Zone 4 Langkawi Chief, Fire Superintendent Mohd Zamri Abd Ghani, said they received the call at 1:37 pm and arrived 20 minutes later.
Six personnel conducted a search, and divers retrieved the body, which was confirmed dead by medical officers.
The body has been handed over to police for further investigation.