KUCHING: There are no words to describe the feeling of sadness and grief felt by 54-year old Jini Mijar after she lost her mother to a crocodile attack at Sungai Rayu, Jalan Selang in Lundu on Wednesday (Apr 17).
The eldest daughter of Minu Khien, 76, described her experience to New Sarawak Tribune when she was with her mother when the incident happened.
“My mother asked if I could follow her to look for clams, to which I willingly obliged and I asked my son to send us to the area.
“We were not far from each other, roughly 10 metres away; I was at a slightly higher ground than she was.
“While waiting for the water to rise, we kept on looking for more clams and snails,” she said.
Jini then abruptly heard her mother screaming several times and calling out her name, requesting for help.
“I called out ‘mother, mother, mother’ but she did not respond, I spent 30 minutes looking for her,” she said.
The 54-year old daughter then rushed back to their village in Kampung Sungai Belian to inform other family members about the incident.
“I didn’t know how to go back home, but I persevered and found a way. I believe it was God that helped me through those moments.
“Thankfully, while on my way home I stumbled upon a passerby, a young Malay man who was able to provide some assistance,” she said.
According to Jini, noticing how dejected and muddy she looked, he offered to help and send her home.
Lundu district traffic officer (operations field officer) Inspector Benjamin Annau Kalom said the search and rescue (SAR) operations team would track the victim on land and in downstream river areas.
On its second day of operation, Benjamin said agencies involved will try to enter small rivers because on its first day of SAR operation the main river has been mainly covered.
”Local residents from three nearby villages would also assist in locating the whereabouts of the victim.
“From past experience, we fear that the crocodile may have taken the victim into smaller streams,” he told reporters at the SAR operation centre for the crocodile victim at Kampung Sungai Rayu on Friday (Apr 19).
Also present at the SAR operations centre was Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri who is also Santubong MP.
Nancy and members of the media were brought by the Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) to the scene of the incident which was 200 metres away from the SAR operation centre at Belian Bridge, Kampung Sungai Rayu.
