SIBU, 18 April – A heartbreaking end to the Sungai Sengayan tragedy as the second victim, Dawellies Luing, 46, who went missing after a 4WD was swept away by strong currents, was found drowned this afternoon.
According to Marudi Fire and Rescue Station (BBP) Operations Officer, Nasir Razali, the victim’s body was recovered by the Search and Rescue (SAR) team around 2pm, approximately 2.5 kilometres from the mouth of Sungai Sengayan and seven kilometres from the incident site.
“The fourth day of the SAR operation started at 9.30am today, using the surface search method along the river from Sungai Sengayan’s mouth to 21km downstream towards Sungai Silat and Batang Baram,” said Nasir.
Dawellies was a Student Management Assistant at Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Long Jekitan, and he was among four people inside the vehicle when the tragic incident occurred on Monday. His nine-year-old daughter, Vallerie Mentie, was also swept away and was found drowned by villagers two kilometres from the scene on the same day.
Meanwhile, his wife, Litun Ajip, and the driver of the vehicle managed to survive the incident.
The body of Dawellies was brought to the Long Silat jetty before being handed over to the police and transported to Miri Hospital for post-mortem. With the discovery of the second victim, the SAR operation was officially called off at 8pm.
This incident has shocked the local community, highlighting once again the dangers of attempting river crossings during bad weather or heavy water flow, especially in interior areas with limited infrastructure.
Our thoughts are with the family and community of Long Jekitan during this tragic time.
