The Education Ministry is reviewing safety procedures after two teacher trainees drowned during a kayaking trip, with strong currents suspected as the cause.
KUALA LUMPUR: The Ministry of Education has launched an internal probe to examine compliance with safety procedures following a fatal kayaking incident that claimed the lives of two teacher trainees.
Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek confirmed the investigation in a statement, extending her condolences to the families of the students from the Institute of Teacher Education Perlis Campus.
“May their families be granted strength and resilience in facing this difficult time,” she said in a Facebook post today.
Fadhlina added that the ministry is coordinating appropriate assistance for the victims’ families while other authorities conduct their own probes into the tragedy.
The two victims, identified as Christopher Ling Jia Siang, 21, and Joey Ling Lin Siang, 20, drowned during an off-campus outdoor education programme at Pantai Merdeka in Kedah.
Preliminary police investigations indicate the kayak capsized due to rough sea conditions and strong currents.
Kuala Muda police chief ACP Hanyan Ramlan said the victims were later discovered entangled in a local fisherman’s net.
He confirmed both students were wearing life jackets when their bodies were recovered at about 7.30 pm yesterday.
The case has been classified as sudden death and will be referred to the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency for a full maritime investigation.
