Search & Rescue Operation Recovers Drowned Body Of 11-Year-Old Boy Who Went Missing In Penang

By Lara Kramer  •  28 Jun 2022 in News

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The search for 11-year-old Muhammad Mikhaeil Muqmin Abdullah who was alleged to have drowned while swimming near the Bagan Ajam fishermen jetty on Monday (June 27) has come to a tragic end.

Earlier, State Fire and Rescue Department operation officer Mohd Faizwan Che Amat reported that the department had been notified at around 5.45pm the same day regarding the sudden disappearance of Muhammad Mikhaeil.

The victim was believed to have gone swimming with three other boys.

Faizwan confirmed that a team of rescuers from Butterworth fire station was immediately dispatched to the scene where they were alerted that the boy had been swept away by the heavy sea currents.

He also stated that local fishermen and passersby managed to rescue the three boys who were present at the scene with the victim, and asserted that a search and rescue (SAR) team and a water rescue unit (PPDA) were forwarded to retrieve his body.

Volunteer fire departments from the surrounding area also aided the deployment, which was resumed this morning after being postponed for a day due to strong currents.

The operation, according to a spokesman for the Penang Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA), was split into 4 sectors with a search window of 26.82 nautical miles and involved five assets from the MMEA, Fire and Rescue Department, Civil Defense Force, as well as marine police.

He also mentioned that a forward search and rescue base had been formed at Bagan Ajam Fishermen’s Jetty at 7.30am today.

The deceased’s body was discovered stuck in a fishing net near where the boy was last seen.

Local fishermen carried his body to Bagan Ajam Fishermen’s Jetty by APM boat, which was then handed over to Butterworth police and affirmed by the victim’s relatives before being transported to Seberang Jaya Hospital for further action.

The operation concluded at 9.45am.