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Rescued Passenger Says She Will "Forever Be In Debt" To Hero Who Drowned Saving Her Family

"The most memorable thing was that he was very quick to save my three-year-old daughter."

Cover image via Utusan & Malay Mail

Nordiana Alwani Jaafar, one of the passengers in the car which plunged into a river on Friday, said that she will "forever be in debt" to the hero who drowned while attempting to save her family

The woman said she was given a "new life" by 31-year-old Abdul Bari Asyraf Mohd  who was the first to jump into Sungai Terengganu to help them, Malaysiakini reported.

Abdul Bari Asyraf Mohd.

Image via Utusan

Other passengers in the vehicle were her daughter, stepmother Suryati Rosli, her stepmother's sister Asmaa Rosli, and her younger sister Safawani Jaafar. 

Image via Malay Mail

Nordiana remembers feeling hopeless and thinking about her impending death when she saw Abdul Bari underwater trying to rescue her

"After the car plunged into the river, my stepmother and I immediately opened the windows at both sides of the front seat, and at the same time I saw him jump into the river to help," she told reporters at the forensic unit of the Sultanah Nur Zahirah Hospital (HSNZ) in Kuala Terengganu yesterday, 10 February.

"The most memorable thing was that he was very quick to save my three-year-old daughter."

Image via videoviral

The survivor noticed that the man seemed exhausted but persisted, repeatedly jumping into the water to help the other passengers when the rescuers experienced muscle cramps.

Image via ncdn.xyz

The woman was seen crying and repeatedly apologising when she met the family of the deceased

His mother, Masitah Awang, said that she is grateful that his body was found, Malaysiakini reported.

Masitah Awang during a prayer session for her son.

Image via Ghazali Kori/New Straits Times

Abdul Bari's body was found on Sunday after an extensive search-and-rescue effort. Read more about his act of heroism here:

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