[VIDEO] Friends Save 5 Children And Granduncle From Drowning After Boat Flips Over
They were at a nearby raft house when they heard the family screaming for help.
By May Vin Ang — 16 Mar 2021, 02:02 PM
Five children and their granduncle nearly drowned when the boat they were on flipped over in the middle of a river in Johor
Harian Metro reported that the incident occurred at 11.30am on Monday, 15 March, at a rivermouth leading out to sea in Air Bintan, Bandar Penawar.
The sampan was boarded by a man and his two nieces and three grandnephews.
The granduncle was bringing his nieces and grandnephews from Batu Pahat out on a boat trip to do some sightseeing
However, just before returning home, the boat was knocked over by a large wave.
"The incident occurred when the sampan wanted to make a sharp turn but some water entered the boat and it flipped over," said Muhammad Asyraf Mahdom, the manager of Ikhwan Resort Air Bintan, a raft house resort nearby.
Muhammad Asyraf said he and his friends, who are all members of Remaja Pembela Ummah (RPU), witnessed the incident and saw the family waving and screaming for help from the water.
The men quickly got into their own boat and rushed to the middle of the river to save the family with the very young children
"Three of us jumped into the river with life jackets to save them before they drowned. They were all saved and brought to the nearby jetty," Muhammad Asyraf told Harian Metro.
According to Muhammad Asyraf, the family was traumatised by the incident and the granduncle also cried and thanked them, saying that if they were not around, his family would have all drowned.
A video of the rescue, shared by Facebook page Info Roadblock JPJ/POLIS, shows the harrowing moment the RPU friends jumped into the river to get the distressed children out of the water to safety.
