Kuala lumpur: An autistic boy was found drowned after being swept away by waves while at the edge of Pantai Kuala Kerteh near here this afternoon.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Kerteh Fire and Rescue Station Operations Commander Senior Fire Officer II Mokhtar Dollah reported that the victim, Muhammad Syahmi Farhan Mohd Firdaus, 6, from Kerteh near here, was discovered by members of the public who also assisted in the search operation. The boy was located at 5:43 pm, approximately 30 meters from where he was last seen playing with sand at the shoreline.

Mokhtar stated that following the distress call received at 3:43 pm, eight firefighters and an officer promptly arrived at the scene to initiate a search operation. They employed a water surface technique to search within a 30-meter radius from the beach around the incident's location.

The victim was confirmed dead by the medical team that arrived at the location. Subsequently, the body was taken to the Kemaman Hospital Forensic Unit for a post-mortem.