DUNGUN Fire and Rescue Station chief Sharizal Shamsudin confirmed a 16-year-old boy drowned while swimming with three other friends in a swampy area near Rantau Abang beach in Dungun.

He said the victim, Muhammad Hazrie Ezani Abdullah, who is also a student at the SMK Kompleks Rantau Abang was found by the water rescue team at 6.10pm today.

He said the victim’s body, which was found at a depth of four metres using the surface search method, was handed over to the police for further action.

“At 5.13 pm today, the fire department received a call from the public informing that a teenager had been swept away in the current while he was swimming with three friends in the area near Pantai Rantau Abang.

“22 firemen from Dungun BBP, Chukai Fire Station and Kuala Terengganu Fire Station rushed to the scene of the incident along with four brigades for search and rescue,” he said today.

Meanwhile, Sharizal advised the public to temporarily stop water activities in high-risk areas as the Northeast Monsoon season is still raging. – Bernama, January 5, 2024.