Man Drowns After Slipping Into Pool At Lata Kinjang Waterfall Area

IPOH, Nov 1 (Bernama) -- A 33-year-old man reportedly drowned when he slipped into a pool in the Lata Kinjang Waterfall area, near Chenderiang, here yesterday.

Perak Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) acting operations chief Shazlean Mohd Hanafiah said they received a distress call at 5.10 pm, and dispatched a team from the Tapah Fire and Rescue Station to the location, about 15 kilometres away, at 5.35 pm.

"The rescue team had to hike about one kilometre to get to the top of the waterfall… to where the victim slipped,” he said in a statement today.

Shazlean said preliminary investigations found that the victim is believed to have slipped into the pool at the highest level of the waterfall and was unconscious.

He added that the victim's friend then performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) before deciding to call for help when there was no response.

"The victim was brought down by the rescue team before he was confirmed dead by a Health Ministry medical team at the site. The victim's body has been handed over to the police,” he said.

Meanwhile, Tapah District Police Chief Supt Johari Yahya said police received a report on the incident at 6.46 pm from the victim’s friend, a 39-year-old local man.  

“Preliminary investigation found that the victim and his friend, both from Sabak Bernam, Selangor, had gone to the location for hiking and swimming at the waterfall area.  

“At about 2.50 pm, while the victim’s friend was setting up a hammock on the hill, he realised the victim was no longer at the waterfall. After searching the surrounding area, he found the victim face down on the water surface,” he said in a statement.  

He said the body was later taken to the Forensic Department of Tapah Hospital for a post-mortem, which determined the cause of death to be drowning and classified the case as sudden death.  

-- BERNAMA