By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Aug 24: The tragic loss of three students from Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Senibong following a boat capsize incident along Batang Kayan, Lundu, has left the school community in deep sorrow.
According to a TVS news report, the principal of SMK Senibong, Rosimi Eron, expressed his grief over the incident, stating that the three students had great potential in both academics and co-curricular activities.
“We feel their loss keenly. These three students showed such promise and could have excelled further in both their studies and extra-curricular endeavours. They had even represented the school at the divisional level,” he was quoted as saying.
Rosimi made these remarks during an interview after the burial ceremony at the Kampung Selampit cemetery yesterday (Aug 23).
Reflecting on the tragic day, Rosimi recounted that he received the heartbreaking news from the Assistant Principal for Student Affairs around 6am.
“At the time, I wasn’t sure about the total number of passengers on the boat, but I was informed that 12 of our students had been rescued while three others were still missing,” he said.
This marked the first time in decades that a boat had capsized in the area, making the incident even more shocking for the local community.
Search and rescue efforts were carried out by the rescue teams and villagers, with the bodies of the three victims being recovered on Thursday (Aug 22).
The incident, which occurred on Tuesday (Aug 20), involved a boat ferrying 15 students across the river as they were on their way to school.
While 12 students survived, the three students identified as Alasma Jithil, 14, Helena Fasha Petrus, 16, and Vilkie Wilson, 15, were reported missing and later found drowned. — DayakDaily
