12-Year-Old Boy Saves Friend From Drowning At Langkawi Beach

ALOR SETAR, Feb 14 (Bernama) -- A quick-thinking, courageous action by a 12-year-old boy saved his friend from drowning at Pantai Pasir Hitam in Langkawi today.

Faris Danish Zulfadli, a pupil at Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Penghulu Ahmad, said that during the incident, he and two friends had just finished cross-country running practice before heading to the beach to rest.

"Suddenly, one of my friends who was playing on the rocks fell into the sea, possibly after slipping. I thought he knew how to swim, so I just sat on the shore with another friend, but after waiting a few minutes, he still had not surfaced.

"At first, I hesitated whether to save him because I was worried I might drown too, but I did not want to leave him. I jumped into the water and pulled him to shore before performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)," he told Bernama when contacted tonight.

Faris Danish, who is also a sailing athlete and the head of his school’s Malaysian Red Crescent Society (MRCS) unit, said that after performing CPR, he immediately contacted his father to come to the scene.

"After that, my father sought help from a foreign tourist to carry my friend upside down to drain out the water. He regained consciousness then, and once the ambulance arrived, he was taken to the hospital for treatment.

"I am grateful that I managed to save my friend. All the knowledge and experience from sailing, swimming, and the CPR I learned previously really helped," he said.

Meanwhile, his father, Zulfadli Mohd Yusoff, 41, said when his eldest son contacted him, he initially told him not to enter the sea out of concern for his safety, unaware that the boy had already rescued his friend.

"I have exposed him to water activities since he was 11 months old, but this is the first time he has faced such a situation. I am thankful that he and his friend are safe, and as a father, I am very proud of his bravery," he said.

Langkawi district police chief ACP Khairul Azhar Nuruddin confirmed the incident when contacted.

He said the 10-year-old victim, who was initially treated at Sultanah Maliha Hospital in Langkawi, has been transferred to Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital here for further medical treatment.

-- BERNAMA