Stench leads to discovery of unidentified man in river

KUCHING: A foul smell from a wharf at Jalan Ang Cheng Ho here led to the discovery of a body floating in Sarawak River early yesterday.

The discovery was made by three residents of Kampung Pulo Ulu, who were crossing the river by boat around 1am to search for unused wooden pallets when they were overcome by the odour.

Upon sighting the body, they immediately alerted the authorities, prompting the Fire and Rescue Department ( Bomba) to dispatch a team to the scene.

Bomba Sarawak assistant operations director Tiong Ling Hii said firemen used the trio’s boat to reach the body’s location and took several minutes to retrieve it, before handing it over to police for further action.

It is learned that police have yet to determine the identity of the deceased, as no personal documents were found on the body, which was clad in a round-neck T-shirt, black jacket and black shorts.