KOTA BARU: A teenage girl tragically drowned after the motorcycle she was riding fell into a drain in Kampung Pangkal Pisang, Peringat, yesterday.
The incident occurred around 5pm, with Ainul Mardiah Azeman, 14, found trapped beneath her Yamaha motorcycle.
The victim's older brother, Ahmad Azizi Azeman, 24, said Ainul had left their home at around 4.40pm to visit a nearby grocery store.
"Half an hour later, our father received a call from a villager who had spotted our motorcycle in the drainage ditch, about 500 metres from our house, with its lights on and the engine still running," he said.
"Residents tried to lift the motorcycle but were unsuccessful until my father arrived at the scene and went into the water himself.
"He felt something beneath the motorcycle, and to his horror, it was my sister's body, trapped underneath.
"At that moment, she was already unconscious, and my father pulled her out, crying," he said when met at their home today.
Following the incident, Ahmad said Ainul was rushed to the Peringat health clinic, where doctors confirmed she had died despite efforts to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
He added that her body was subsequently sent to Universiti Sains Malaysia Hospital (HUSM) in Kubang Kerian for an autopsy.
"Our mother was also admitted to the same hospital after fainting due to the overwhelming stress of the situation," he said.
"This is the third time we faced the loss of a family member.
"Two of my other siblings were also taken from us, one in a road accident last year and the other drowning in a swamp nearly 10 years ago," said Ahmad.
Ainul's burial is expected to take place at the Kampung Pangkal Pisang Islamic Cemetery once the autopsy is completed.
The victim's cousin, Najwa Adina Abdul Ghani, 14, said that in the days leading up to the tragedy, Ainul had been unusually quiet and daydreaming, a stark contrast to her typically active personality.
"We study in the same school and class; I never expected that this change was a sign she would leave us forever," she said.