Sungai Petani Drowning: A 9-Year Wait That Ended In Tragedy After 19 Months
The two used to go for walks every evening but were found floating in a 1-metre-deep pond on Monday.
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The tragic death of a grandfather and his grandson in Taman Kempas, Sungai Petani made headlines since Monday.
What tugged at the heartstrings of many was that the child’s mother, Zarina Azmi revealed that she waited nine years before she was finally pregnant with Muhammad Ziyaf Mikhail Muhammad Yuzarith, only to lose him after just 19 months together.
The bodies of Zarina’s father, Azmi Abdullah, 78, and his 1-year and 7-month-old grandson were found in a one-metre deep old pond near a grilled fish restaurant.
They were found by passersby in the area on Monday (11 September) at 7pm before a restaurant worker contacted the police.
As reported by Sinar Harian, Kuala Muda District Police Chief Assistant Commissioner Zaidy Che Hassan said that the two were believed to have been on their way home to Kampung Permatang Berangan in Pinang Tunggal when the tragedy occurred.
Zaidy said that the witness, a worker at the grilled fish restaurant, saw a crowd gathered at the old pond. When he approached, he saw the two drowned victims and called the police.
The bodies were taken to the Forensic Department of the Sultan Abdul Halim Hospital in Sungai Petani for post-mortem.
Currently, the police have found no criminal elements at the scene.
Evening walks
The child’s father, Muhammad Yuzarith Martin Abdullah, 37, said that his father-in-law would often take his son for evening walks.
Azmi would pick Ziyaf up from Zarina who worked at a different restaurant in the area.
On that day, Yuzarith felt something amiss as both had not returned home by 7pm after Azmi had picked Ziyaf up at 5pm.
This prompted him to go and look for them. When he searched the area and found a crowd near the pond, it was already too late by then.
Toddler was an only child
Quoting Kosmo!, Zarina, 34, said that the little boy was their only child. The couple had waited patiently for nine years before she found herself pregnant with Ziyaf.
My husband and I are still grieving for our beloved child, whom we waited for nine years, and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Zarina Azmi, Mother of drowned toddler
I am still traumatized by this incident, and it may be difficult to forget it in the near future.
Looking back, Zarina remarked that her son had behaved rather oddly before his grandfather picked him up that day. He was constantly hugging and kissing her while accompanying her during work at the eatery.
“I found his behaviour strange because it seemed like he was unwilling to be apart from me until his grandfather came to pick him up at around 5pm…,” she added.
Although she was still shocked and saddened by the incident, Zarina said that she had to accept the harrowing fate that took both her father and her son in one go.
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