Rescuer: Victim tried hard to stay afloat

KUALA TERENGGANU: “I saw the victim (Abdul Bari Asyraf Mohd) holding a girl and trying hard to stay afloat,” said Omar Abdul Aziz Othman, 27.

Omar, who is an officer with Terengganu’s Road Transport Department, was one of the six rescuers who jumped into Sungai Terengganu to rescue a family of five after their Mitsubishi Storm plunged into the river at Pulau Warisan here on Friday.

Omar and four of the rescuers survived, while Bari, 31, from Kampung Panji here, was feared drowned.

He said he was with his family when the incident happened.

“I saw the victim (Bari) trying hard to stay afloat while holding a child. It prompted me to try and grab the child from him.

“However, I failed, and proceeded to rescue two women and pulled them to the riverbank.”

He said an angler, who happened to be at the scene, threw a plastic barrel at Bari in an attempt to rescue him.

“I’m not sure whether he managed to get hold of the barrel.

“The girl was rescued by others who jumped into the river.”

In the 9.30pm incident, the family of five, comprising three women, aged between 23 and 37, and two girls, aged 3 and 11, almost drowned after their vehicle was accidentally put in reverse, causing it to plunge into the river.