Fishing trip ends in drowning of siblings

KUANTAN: Four siblings, including a pair of twins, drowned after three of them jumped into a pool in vain to save their eight-year-old sister.

Mohd Shukri Md Samsuri, 15 and twins Syafiqah and Mohd Syafik, 12, tried to save Norsyakirah after she fell into the 3.3m pool.

All of them did not know how to swim.

The children, together with their parents and two other siblings, had gone to the pool in Kota Bahagia, near Muad­­zam, to fish.

Their mother Saeyah Mohd Noor, 38, said the family were gathered on the bank of the pool when Norsyaki­rah slipped.

"Her brothers and sister jumped in to save her but all four got into difficulties.

"Even I nearly drowned when I jumped in to save her children but I was able to grab onto a rope before shouting to my husband for help.

"By then it was already too late," she said.

Md Shamsuri Maulana said the children had begged their mother to follow him to the pool.

Firemen found the children's bodies within an hour of the incident.

(Edit:Ruby)