KUALA KUBU BAHARU – The bodies of Arif Fadzil Abdul Saleh and his young son and daughter, who drowned while on a picnic by Sg Balak near here, were taken back to their hometown in Kuala Lipis, Pahang for burial.
The triple tragedy occurred earlier today when Arif, 43, jumped into the river at a popular recreational spot along Jalan Genting Lama-Batang Kali to save his daughter Damia, 9.
His son Malik, 6, had also jumped into the river.
The three bodies were taken to Kuala Kubu Baharu Hospital for post-mortem, which concluded at about 9pm.
The bodies were then brought to a mosque in Kuala Kubu Baharu for funeral prayers, after which they departed for Kuala Lipis.
Arif’s brother-in-law, Mohd Azri Azahar, 39, said the deceased was a good man to his sister, Azimah Azaha. Arif was self-employed and had a business involving classic motorcycles, Azri was reported as saying by Bernama.
Arif and his wife, Azimah, had been on a picnic by the river with their seven children when tragedy struck. The couple also owns a home and a shop in Batang Kali and came here for a weekend getaway.
Sg Balak has been the site of previous drownings in 2021 and 2022, with one past incident involving a swimmer getting stuck in a swirling pool with strong currents. – May 5, 2024