Tricycle Incident: Grandaunt Recalls Toddler's Sad Face Before Tragic End

BACHOK, Aug 11 (Bernama) -- "I can still see the sad, silent gaze of little Mariam Afeeya, as she looked up at me, asking to be rocked to sleep last Friday," shared Hasliza Harun, the baby-sitter and grandaunt of the 15-month-old toddler who tragically lost her life after being thrown into a canal in Kampung Tok Belian, Pengkalan Petah here.

Hasliza, 44, recounted the moments with Mariam Afeeya, unaware that last Friday would be the final time she would care for the little girl.

"Mariam Afeeya was unusually restless that afternoon, asking me to rock her cradle over 20 times around 1.30 pm. She was having trouble falling asleep. But as soon as I started, she drifted off within a minute," Hasliza told reporters when met at her home in Kampung Pauh Sembilan, Tawang here.

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“Later that day, when Mariam Afeeya woke up, she was full of energy and excitement, eager to join her brother and cousins on a tricycle ride.

"She couldn’t wait to get outside and she ran out as soon as she woke up," Hasliza said, adding that last Thursday, Mariam Afeeya hugged her tightly, crying in a way she hadn’t before.

"No one ever expects something like this to happen. I feel responsible because they were under my care, and they had never been far from home," she said, adding that she had been looking after Mariam Afeeya since she was just three months old.

Last Friday at 6.45 pm Hasliza received the devastating news - a tricycle accident had claimed the life of Mariam Afeeya, who was thrown into a drainage canal along with her brother and cousins.

"My 12-year-old son told me that the tricycle's handle wouldn't turn, causing them all to plunge into the canal," she said.

Fortunately, two villagers heard their screams and rushed to help, rescuing all the children except Mariam Afeeya, who was later found at the bottom of the canal.

Bachok police chief Supt Mohamad Ismail Jamaluddin said a thorough investigation would be conducted, including looking into the role of the parents, and if neglect is found, they would face consequences.

-- BERNAMA