THE severed head of an 80-year-old man believed to have been attacked by a crocodile while bathing near his home in Kampung Siang-Siang Laut, Lawas, was found late Wednesday night—two days after he was reported missing.
A spokesperson for the Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) said the discovery was made by villagers approximately 500 metres from the site where the victim, Tuah Lamat, was last seen on Tuesday evening.
“Upon receiving a distress call at 11.20pm, an operations team from the Lawas Fire and Rescue Station, led by Operations Commander PBKI Awang Adani Damit and Senior Operations Commander PPgB Clarence D. Primus Tiandun, was deployed to the scene, located some 22 kilometres away,” the department said in a statement on Thursday.
At 12.45am, the object recovered was confirmed by family members to be the victim’s head. It was handed over to police for further investigation. The search and rescue operation resumed Thursday morning.
The incident occurred around 5.30pm on Tuesday when Tuah was believed to have entered the river at a small bridge near his residence to bathe.
Family members later found only a towel and a pair of slippers, believed to be his, at the scene.
Concerned villagers launched their own search along the river in small boats but failed to locate him, prompting them to contact fire and rescue authorities for assistance - September 11, 2025
