Mersing: A mother lamented over the drowning of her two children who were merely playing with their cousin on the beach in Pulai Mentigi. Nurul Huda Abdul Rahman, 44, said she and three of her children – including Ahmad Uwais Al-Qarni, 13, and Nur Awatif Udaima, 15, who drowned – had gone along to the island with five other family members for a picnic, without any plans to swim.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Nurul Huda recounted that they had just finished lunch when the tragedy unfolded. Uwais had helped serve food and was the last to eat. After lunch, the children played by the beach. Nur Awatif approached her mother for help with her scoop net just before the youngest sibling alerted her that the older siblings were missing from sight.

Nurul Huda, speaking to reporters at her home in Kampung Bahagia, described the frantic moments of searching for her children. Despite strong waves and failing to locate them, she sought help from nearby people. She noted that her children were simply splashing around when the waves pulled them away.

She shared that Nur Awatif Udaima was a Form Three student at SMK Mersing, while Ahmad Uwais Al-Qarni attended Sekolah Menengah Agama Al-Khairiah Al-Islamiah Mersing as a Form One student. During the incident, her husband, Mohd Hisam Md Sahar, and their two other children were not present, as they lived in Kulai and visited only on weekends.

The siblings were laid to rest in the same grave at the At-Thahiriyah Muslim Cemetery in Batu 3. Mersing Maritime Zone Director Commander Suhaizan Saadin confirmed that the siblings were found drowned at the Pulau Mentigi beach.