Six specialist firefighters were killed by strong currents while trying to rescue a teenager after he fell into a disused mining pool last Wednesday.
Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department Director-General Mohammad Hamdan Wahid said today that “it is embedded in the spirit of a firefighter to save lives and this is impelled by many factors, especially the sight of a grieving family anticipating the rescue of a loved one.”
“It is not in the spirit of firefighters to sit along the bank of a pool and watch for a body to emerge from the waters. We do not presume someone is dead until we fish out a lifeless body or can no longer resuscitate the victim”
Mohd Hamdan said the six fallen firefighters, identified as Yahya Ali, 24, Mazlan Omarbaki, 25, Muhammad Hifdzul Malik Shaari, 25, Izatul Akma Wan Ibrahim, 32, Adnan Othman, 33 and Mohd Fatah Hashim, 34,
The loss will be felt by the entire fire service family.
Image shows Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department Director-General Mohammad Hamdan Wahid who conveyed the grief for the loss of the firefighters whilst attempting the rescue.