The bodies of a 37-year-old mother and her 2 young sons were found in a state of hugging each other in the back of a Proton Persona which plunged into Sungai Muda near Kuala Ketil.
According to Bernama, the 3 members of a family were missing and feared drowned since Saturday (25 June).
The victims were identified as Mashitoh Ibrahim and her two sons, seven-year-old Mohd Ziyad Zikri Sharudin, and five-year-old Mohd Ziyad Haziq, according to Baling district police chief Shamsudin Mamat.
Kedah Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) deputy director, Assistant Fire Commissioner Syufaat Kamaron said they received a distress call at 6.42 pm about a car plunging into a river.
He said the search and rescue team eventually found the car on the riverbed, at a depth of about 7.6 metres, around 1.41 am Sunday (26 June).
NST also reported that it took the divers almost two hours to fish out the car from the river.
Syufa’at said that after locating the car around 1.41 am, a crane was engaged to lift the car at 2.53 am and the vehicle was completely fished out from the river at about 3.30 am.
“The bodies have been handed over to the police for further investigations,” he said in a statement.
Meanwhile, a witness who was fishing with his friends at the time of the incident had tried to help when they saw the car plunge into the river. However, their efforts were thwarted by the strong currents.
The mother, Mashitoh, was a religious teacher attached to SK Kampung Selarong in Kuala Ketil.
Her younger brother, 34-year-old Mohd Asyraf Ibrahim said that the incident has left the family in shock.
