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KUALA LUMPUR – The remains of a boy, believed to be one of the three individuals who went missing after being swept away by strong river currents near a chalet in Bentong, was found at 10.30am this morning.
According to a report by Kosmo, the body was found floating and trapped under a pile of wood in a forest near the Karak Highway heading to the capital city, about one kilometre from the scene.
Besides the young child, the owners of the Bobby Eco Farm homestay, Bobby Lim Yoke Hoong and Yap Koon Lau, who are in their 60s, were also reported missing in the tragedy.
Bentong fire and rescue station chief Mohd Zamri Abd Ghani said the boy is believed to be 6-year-old Emmanuel Chang Li Zheng.
“The search-and-rescue team operation started at 9.40am with 26 officers and members.
“We found the body under a pile of wood at KM66.2 next to the Karak Highway heading to Kuala Lumpur, which is about one kilometre from the spot they were reported missing.
“The identity of the victim has not been identified but it is believed to be Chang. We will call his adoptive parents for the identification process,” he said as quoted by the Malay daily.
He added that the search-and-rescue operation is still ongoing to find the homestay owner.
The operation, he said, is assisted by several stations and agencies to find the three missing victims.
“The stations involved are Genting Highlands, Bentong, Cameron Highlands, Nenasi, and Storm Pahang.
“We have also used the services of two tracking dogs and received assistance from police and the Civil Defence Force.”
Yesterday, Pahang Fire and Rescue Department assistant director (operations) Ismail Abdul Ghani said the three were part of a group of 35 individuals who were putting up at a chalet, and were trapped by the mud floods at 11.40pm on Saturday.
Yesterday morning, it was reported that the body of a woman was found at 10.15am approximately 200m away from the homestay. – The Vibes, December 22, 2021