Kota Tinggi: A nine-year-old boy is feared to have drowned after reportedly falling into a drain in Kota Jaya earlier this afternoon. Kota Tinggi District police chief Supt Yusof Othman said the incident occurred around 3 pm when the boy was believed to have been trying to retrieve his slipper, which had fallen into the drain.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the weather at the time was marked by heavy rain, with strong currents and deep water. Supt Yusof Othman added that search and rescue operations were currently being carried out by the police in collaboration with the Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM).

Meanwhile, JBPM operations commander, Senior Assistant Fire Superintendent Shawaluddin Ami Nordin, reported that a Fire Rescue Tender (FRT), Fire Response Vehicle (FRV), and Emergency Medical And Rescue Services (EMRS) unit, consisting of nine personnel, were dispatched to the scene. 'Upon the arrival of the Operations Extraction Team, it was found that the victim, a young boy, had fallen into the drain, believed to be while playing. The search operation is ongoing,' he said.