THE bodies of two more victims of the water surge incident in Jeram Mawar, Air Putih, have been recovered, said police. 

Kemaman district police chief Supt Hanyan Ramlan said the bodies of the third and fourth victims were found at 11.05am and 11.25am respectively today. 

He said the search and rescue operation for the remaining six missing victims continued. 

However, he did not identify the bodies recovered.  

Earlier today, Hanyan said eight missing people, including seven family members, had been identified.  

He said the family members were identified as Karim Abdullah, 39; Putri Balqis Izzati Abdul Rahman, 18; Putri Alleya Maisarah Karim, 16; Putri Nor Fatin Karim, 14; Putri Nurerina Natasya Karim, 10; Muhammad Haziq Ziqree Karim, six, and Putri Aryana Umaira Karim, four.  

The other person missing is Putri Balqis Izzati’s fiance, Muhammad Fikri Saliman, 24, from Batu Pahat, Johor.  

Earlier, the dead victims were identified as Azizah Eiyi, 40, and her son Muhammad Zulqarnain Haikal Karim, 11, and were found at about 12.30pm.   

Hanyan said the remains of the two victims were identified by family members at Kemaman Hospital Forensic Unit yesterday night.  

Azizah’s body was found floating by the crowd after being swept away by the currents about 24km from the scene of the incident, while Muhammad Zulqarnain Haikal was found stuck on a tree branch about 2km away.  

He said it is believed that Karim, who is an excavator driver in the Air Putih Forest here, was familiar with the routes at the location and was able to enter the area though the vehicle used was unsuitable.  

“They might have been unaware of the sudden surge of water. If you look at the situation at the location earlier, the water level is believed to have risen by five to 10m during the incident, and they did not have time to escape while bathing there,” he said.  

The bodies of Azizah and Muhammad Zulqarnain Haikal will be taken to the Sultanah Nur Zahirah Hospital in Kuala Terengganu tomorrow for a post-mortem. – July 3, 2023.