Kota setar: A 17-year-old male student drowned while swimming in Sungai Kampung Gelam here today.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Kota Setar district police chief ACP Syed Basri Syed Ali reported that the victim, a fifth-form student at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Darulaman, had gone to the river with four friends before the incident occurred.

'Around 5.30 pm, the victim and his friends went to the river from Taman Derga Jaya to swim. While in the water, his friends saw him struggling and he eventually sank. His friends tried to rescue him, but he sank in the middle of the river. They then called on the public to alert the police,' ACP Syed Basri said in a statement today.

He further stated that an emergency call was received at 6.20 pm, and at 6.41 pm, the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department personnel recovered the victim's body. 'An external examination found no signs of injury. The body has been sent to the Forensic Department at Hospital Sultanah Bahiyah, with a post-mortem scheduled for 10 am tomorrow,' he added.