3 UTAR Students Drowned at Waterfall

I read the newspaper today and feel quite sad that 3 lives were lost unnecessarily. University life should be full of memories, hard work and friendships. I guess this is a grim reminder to all students that whenever we have fun, we have to use our brains to be wise. If drinking, don’t drive. If going swimming, don’t do it during raining season. If going to a party, girls don’t accept drinks from strangers or friends, get them yourselves.

This is all part of growing up. Learn to be street smart. To the students’ Yew Ghim Chnieh, James Khor Wan Kai and Yew Shy Gin RIP  and my condolences to their families.  The article below from the Star. To all students be wise during your university years.

Three Utar students drown at waterfall, a fourth rescued

KAMPAR: A second tragedy has struck here, hardly a week after the Kuala Dipang bridge collapse took three young lives.

Three Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman undergraduates drowned after they were swept away by strong current at the Batu Berangkai waterfalls yesterday.

The dead have been identified as James Khor Wan Kai, 20; Yew Shy Gin, 19 and Yew Ghim Chnieh, 20.

A fourth student was rescued by a villager.

The four had gone to the picnic spot for a swim at about 5pm.

Three of them had gone into the water and the fourth student was about to follow them when a sudden gush of water caused him to tumble in.

A Kampar villager, who saw this, rushed over and pulled out the fourth student.

Perak executive councillor Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon, who related the story to newsmen, said the survivor — 22-year-old second-year accountancy student — declined to speak to the press and did not want to be named.

He suffered cuts and bruises.

At about 9.40pm, nearby villagers found Khor’s body while Yew’s body was found at 11.10pm, one kilometre from where they went into the water.

Their bodies have been sent to the Kampar Hospital.

Businessman Syed Farudi Syed Samsuddin, who saw the three students being swept away by the strong current, said their hands and legs were bobbing in the water.

Syed Farudi, 41, from Mambang Diawan, said he could see that they were struggling.

“There was nothing I could do,” he said.

It happened so fast, he said, adding that it had been raining heavily before the incident occurred.

The Batu Berangkai picnic spot is 15km from where three pupils drowned after a suspension bridge collapsed over Sungai Kampar last Monday.

This is from Bernama

KAMPAR, Nov 2 (Bernama) — The bodies of three Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) students, who had drowned at the Batu Berangkai Waterfall, here, were found late Sunday night.

Kampar district police chief Supt Abdul Aziz Salleh said the victims in the 5.30pm incident were male students Yew Ghim Chnieh and James Wan Kai Khor, both aged 20 and from Penang, and female student Yew Shy Gin, 21, from Sungai Petani Kedah.

Yew Shy Gin’s body was found at 11.10pm, and the other two bodies, at 10.20pm and about midnight.

The first body was found about 300 metres from the spot where they were last seen and the second and third bodies were discovered not far from where the first body was found. All the three bodies were sent to the Kampar District Hospital.

However, another student who was also swept by the strong current, managed to swim to safety.

Abdul Aziz said a search and rescue operation following information received was immediately mounted by the police with the help of a fire and rescue team and villagers.

The incessant rain, the swift current and darkness had hampered the search operation.

A witness, Syed Sarudin Syed Shamsuddin, 41, said the incident happened after heavy rain at the waterfall area.

“My three children and I had sought shelter at a hut on the river bank while the three victims and others continued swimming in the river.

“The water level rose slowly before I heard a loud gush of water pounding on the rocks and saw four people being swept away by the swift current,” he recalled.

A villager, Razali Abdullah, 32, said he was nearby at the time but could not help the victims as the current was very swift.

“I heard cries for help and saw three people struggling in the swift-flowing water,” he said.

According to Razali, the UTAR students and others seen picnicking there about 3pm were advised by the local residents to go home as the waterfall could be dangerous during the rainy season.

Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir and state executive councillor Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon visited the scene of the incident Sunday night.

Dr Mah said the 22-year-old second-year accounting student from Kuala Lumpur who survived the incident only had minor injuries.

The incident happened a week after three primary schoolchildren drowned in the Kampar River when the suspension bridge they were walking on with several other pupils collapsed.

— BERNAMA