The fire department in Kedah confirmed that all 6 bodies of the missing family were found in the backseat of their car, a Proton Saga that submerged at the bottom of the river.
The victims were attempting to escape the car but did not manage to do so.
Head of Zone 1 of the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) in Kedah, Senior Fire Superintendent I Ahmad Aminuddin Abd Rahim, said the fire brigade had to break the windows and cut the body of the car to remove the victims, which was not an easy task.
“When a body has been in the water for a certain period of time, it will bloat and make it difficult to remove through the door.”
“So we had to break the rear window and cut through the vehicle structure to get the victim out,” Aminuddin explained at the media.
He added that the distance between the submerged car and the riverbank was only about one metre, while the river was estimated to be 6 metres deep and around 7.6 metres wide.
The car was floating when the fire brigade was at the scene, which made it easier for the vehicle to be towed. In a report by Sinar Harian, the victims have been identified as follows,
- Muhammad Azim Izat Ishak, 32
- Nurul Hidayah Khadijah Razman Efendi, 31
- Putra Rayyan Nur Izat, 9
- Hawa Adriana, 8
- Anayla Huma’ira, 7
- Tuah Haidar, 6 months
They were reported missing after spending the night at a family member’s house in Taman Aman in Kedah. Their disappearance was discovered when they did not return home. Their bodies were sent to the hospital for autopsy.
