Two Orang Asli girls survived on grass, wild fruits

Two schoolgirls from Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Tohoi who went missing since August were found safe under the roots of trees hanging on the riverbank of Sungai Perias in Gua Musang today.

Kelantan police chief Mazlan Lazim said the two girls - Miksudiar Alui, 11, and Norieen Yaakob, 10 - were found about 3.3km from the Search and Rescue (SAR) Operation Centre at 12.15pm, together with the body of another girl.

"The body was identified as the nine-year-old Ika Ayel. The body identification was done by her family member at the Gua Musang Hospital this afternoon. She was believed to have died four days ago," he told a press conference in Gua Musang.

Mazlan said Miksudiar and Norieen were found in weak condition due to dehydration and according to the girls, they had to eat grass and wild fruits found around the area to survive.

The duo were among the seven Orang Asli pupils, comprising six girls and a boy, aged seven to 11 years, who escaped from the school's hostel on Aug 23 for fear of punishment after going for a swim in a river without permission.

On Wednesday, the SAR team had also found a decomposed body of a girl in the river, who was later identified as eight-year-old Sasa Sobrie, one of the missing children.

Stepping up search efforts

Yesterday, a part of a child skull and rib bones were found about 500 metres from the site where Sasa's body was found.

The identity, however, has yet to be ascertained.

With the discovery of the bodies and the two survivors, the search and rescue team was now intensifyting efforts to find three other missing children.

They are Juvina David, seven; Linda Rosli, eight; and Haikal Yaakob, eight.

Mazlan said the location where the bodies and survivors were found was still within the search area and the pupils were probably afraid and hid themselves from the SAR team.

"It is learnt that the surviving victims had pushed the bodies of their friends into the river. However, the case is still classified as missing persons.

"Three bodies, which had been found so far, have yet to be claimed by the families pending the issuance of the DNA reports," he said.

When asked about the discovery of a child skull and rib bones yesterday, Mazlan said the police were still waiting for the post mortem report from the pathologist at the Raja Perempuan Zainab II Hospital.

Missing for 48 days

Earlier, there was a melancholic atmosphere at the SAR Operation Centre at the SK Tohoi as the two survivors were brought in for initial medical attention before being taken to Gua Musang Hospital for further treatment.

As soon as they arrived at the Emergency Unit, Miksudiar’s mother, 41-year-old Rozita Behel, broke down at the sight of her daughter, who had been missing in the jungle for 48 days, and kept on saying the words, "I love my daughter", repeatedly.

The hospital's mortuary was also engulfed with sad atmosphere as Ayel Ajib, 46, and his wife, Nora Tegeu, 39, identified the body of their daughter, Ika, at around 5.30pm.

With tears in her eyes, Nora could only call Ika's name while being calmed down by her husband and SAR team members in Temiar language.

It is learnt that the couple identified the body of their daughter by the beaded bracelet and sport attire donned by the girl.

- Bernama