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Kota Kinabalu: An 11-year-old boy drowned after he was swept away by strong currents at Sungai Rampayan near Kampung Dombung, Manggatal, on Wednesday afternoon.

City police chief ACP Kasim Muda said police received a report on the incident at about 3.05pm after the victim reportedly went to the river with nine friends from the same area to catch fish.

He said preliminary investigations found that the victim, identified as Akil Hamizan Ahmad, and one of his friends became separated from the group before they were carried away by the river current, prompting their companions to seek help from nearby members of the public.

Kasim said personnel from the Manggatal police station and the Fire and Rescue Department from Lintas were deployed to the scene, where the victim was found at 4.17pm and administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation before being taken to Hospital Likas by ambulance.

He said the boy was pronounced dead at 5.46pm by attending doctors, while police extended condolences to the victim’s family and advised the public to remain vigilant and ensure children are supervised near rivers or open water areas.