PANTU: A family’s worst fears of a crocodile attack were dispelled after the body of a missing 15-year-old boy was found in Sungai Seterap early today (July 23) with no signs of bite marks.
The victim, Taufik Ezany Abdullah, had been fishing with seven relatives in four boats along the river on Tuesday (July 21) when the incident occurred at around 12.30 pm.
It is understood that one of the fishing nets became entangled on a submerged log during the outing. Taufik dived into the river in an attempt to free the net but never resurfaced.
His disappearance prompted panic among family members after they spotted a crocodile surfacing not far from where the teenager had gone under, fuelling fears that he had been attacked.
However, members of the public found Taufik’s body floating at around 12.30 am today, about 30 metres from the spot where he was last seen.
The body was retrieved using a local boat and taken to Pantu jetty before being handed over to police, who transported it to Sri Aman Hospital for further action.
The Fire and Rescue Department (BOMBA) said the body was recovered intact, ruling out the initial fears of a crocodile attack.
Following the discovery, the search and rescue (SAR) operations, involving firefighters from Sri Aman station and police, was officially called off at 1.30 am.
