AN elderly woman was swept to her death in the early hours of Wednesday after the car she was travelling in with her daughter was engulfed by strong floodwaters in Tanah Merah, Kelantan.
The tragedy unfolded as the family attempted to flee rising waters, leaving relatives grieving two major losses within a single year.
The victim, 70-year-old Siti Gayah Zakaria, had been en route to a relative’s home in Kampung Batu 7 with her daughter, Shamila Suzie Ahmad Basharuddin, 48, when their Proton Saga was caught in powerful currents that had spilled over the road. Shamila survived, but her mother was swept away.
Siti Gayah’s son, Fendy Ahmad Basharuddin, 35, described the trauma faced by his older sister as she struggled desperately to keep hold of their mother.
“Olong held on to mother’s hand, but it slipped because the current was too strong,” he said, recounting Shamila’s words.
In an emotional interview at the Tanah Merah Hospital Forensics Unit, Fendy explained that the three had planned to leave together for their uncle’s house due to fears their home in Kampung Manal would flood after hours of relentless rain.
“My sister and mother went out first by car, and I followed afterwards. If I had arrived a little earlier at the scene, mother would surely have been saved,” he said.
When Fendy arrived at the scene, he saw his sister’s vehicle submerged and immediately jumped into the water to rescue her as she clung to the car door. His mother, however, was no longer in the passenger seat.
“Olong said mother told him her legs were cramping, and they held onto each other’s hands, but they slipped,” he added.
According to the Fire and Rescue Department, Siti Gayah was found at 7.49am, her body lodged near a tree not far from where she had been swept away.
Shamila, speaking by phone, said the darkness and the deceptive depth of the water made the situation perilous. She only realised the strength of the current after the car spun and struck a culvert.
“The water overflowing onto the road was so strong that it caused my car to spin and be swept away,” she said.
In panic, she instructed her mother to climb onto the bonnet, but both were forced to cling to the windscreen as the floodwaters grew more violent.
“Mother told me her legs were cramping and also asked me not to leave her,” she said, adding that her mother lost her grip moments later.
“I screamed as she drifted away,” Shamila recalled, explaining how passers-by eventually came to her aid.
The Tanah Merah Fire Station chief, Mohd Zulkifli Osman, confirmed his team received an emergency call at 4.13am. A six-member team found the car wedged against the culvert with one survivor and one missing person.
“Search efforts were carried out, and the woman was found at 7.49am not far from the scene,” he said.
Siti Gayah’s remains have been handed over to police and taken to the hospital for further procedures. She will be laid to rest at the Batu 8 Islamic Cemetery.
Fendy said his mother had only recently returned from Kuala Lumpur and had repeatedly asked to come home to the village. The family is devastated.
“I never imagined this would happen. On 14 December, it would have been one year since our father passed away, and today mother follows,” he said, describing her as a devoted mother who frequently observed voluntary fasts on Mondays and Thursdays. - November 26, 2025
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