KUCHING: One of the victims still missing from the Sarawak Regatta training incident yesterday had recently become engaged.
Muhammad Khairul Hisyam Kasturi, 23, from Kampung Rebak, Asajaya, got engaged to his school friend, known only as Wawa, last Sunday.
His uncle, Mohd Ridzuan Aban, said both families had agreed to formalise the engagement due to the couple's long-standing friendship.
"The families decided they should get engaged first, but no date has been set for the wedding as another of my nieces is getting married at the end of November.
"We were all shocked and saddened to hear about Khairul's disappearance. His fiancée fainted upon receiving the news yesterday afternoon," he said.
Ridzuan said Khairul could not swim and had never been accustomed to playing in rivers or the sea despite living near the coast.
"That's why I'm still puzzled as to why he joined the boat race, considering he neither swims nor rows well.
"I know my nephew, and he isn't the type who enjoys water activities. When I heard he went missing while training for the boat race, I wondered if he was rowing.
"If I had known he was participating in the boat race, I would have stopped him," he said.
Ridzuan added that Khairul, who worked for the Sarawak Safety and Enforcement Unit, had joined the training only three days ago in preparation for the Sarawak Regatta next month.
He said he had come to terms with the situation and hoped all the victims would be found.
In addition to Khairul, four others remain missing: Mohamad Ikhmal Sama'ail, Majurie Maharuf, Mohd Afiq Isyamudin Asaari and Mohamad Khairul Bidin, all aged between 22 and 35.
In the 3.40pm incident, 11 other participants in the same boat managed to save themselves after it capsized.