Holiday Turns Tragic As 12 Year Old Killed By Crocodile While Fishing

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KUCHING: A 12-year-old is believed to have been attacked and killed by a crocodile while fishing in Sungai Empila, Kota Samarahan, on Thursday (Sept 18) morning.
The victim's father, Mohammad Tinggal Ali, 52, said that unlike most children his age, Arif Fahmi Aiman Mohammad Tinggal, or Aiman as he was affectionately known, preferred spending his time at the river fishing and netting, an activity that had become a part of his life for the past two years.
"If his mother asked him to go buy rice or anything else, he would follow... but when we forbade him from going to the river to fish, there was no stopping him because it was his favourite activity," he said.
Mohammad Tinggal said Aiman had left the house as early as 6am on Thursday to fish. His fishing friends, who were with him, then realised he was missing.
The father of three, who works as a security guard at SK Empila, only found out about the incident after receiving a call from his eldest child while he was at his farm.
"I immediately rushed back and sought help from a friend who had a boat.
"Not long after, the fire and rescue team arrived and used a grappling hook for the search. The second time they pulled, the hook got caught on his shirt and when they pulled him up, I saw my son's body myself. There were crocodile bite marks on his chest," he said.
Mohammad Tinggal said his son's friendly nature meant the sixth-grader was able to get along with anyone, even befriending adult anglers in their 20s and 30s.
"If he got prawns, he would sell them. Once he earned up to RM70, and even yesterday, he made RM28 from his netting. It was his hobby, and he was happy because he could earn his own pocket money," he added, accepting his son's passing.
In a statement, the Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department's Operations Centre said the boy's body was found at 9.50am, about 10 metres from the last location where he was seen.
The department received an emergency call at 7.53am, and according to witnesses, the victim was believed to be on a boat setting his net before the incident occurred. – Bernama

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