Devastated father mourns loss of teenage son despite frantic efforts to rescue him after boat sinks in Sungai Kayan

Wilson is devastated over the loss of his son at Kampung Bitokan on Aug 21, 2024. Photo credit: Wilfred Pilo

By Karen Bong and Wilfred Pilo

LUNDU, Aug 21: The grief-stricken father of 15-year-old Vilkie Wilson, who drowned after the boat he was on capsized on Sungai Kayan, is devastated by the loss of his son and anguished by his inability to rescue him when the incident occurred.

Vilkie, the youngest of four siblings, was the son of 49-year-old Wilson Nyanggin, who works for a plantation company.

Recalling that fateful day, Wilson described how his son was unusually quiet on the Tuesday morning before boarding the boat to cross Sungai Kayan for school.

Wilson had crossed the river first to Kampung Bitokan, where villagers from Kampung Selampit parked their cars to access his vehicle. He had been waiting at the jetty for his son when the incident occurred.

The SAR team have retrieved the body of 15-year-old Vilkie at Kampung Selampit, Lundu on Aug 21, 2024. Photo credit: Wilfred Pilo

He first heard shouts of a boat capsizing. Wilson quickly got out of his car and rushed to the riverbank. In the pre-dawn darkness, he barely saw the unfolding tragedy. Students were clinging to the boat and struggling in the water.

“I ran to the side of the river, took off my shirt, and leapt into the water when I saw my son.

“But the current was too strong, and I suffered a cramp, forcing me to swim back. I saw my son but could do nothing. It was a tragedy,” he told DayakDaily when approached at Kampung Bitokan today, mourning upon seeing the body of his son being recovered from the river.

Wilson described his son as an obedient and respectful child.

Councillor Grace Lina when met at Kampung Bitokan, Lundu on Aug 21, 2024.

Meanwhile, councillor Grace Lina from Kampung Selampit expressed heartbreak over the tragedy, noting that she knew many of the victims.

“It was the normal rush hour to get to Lundu town for work and school. I’m 48 years old, and this is the first such tragic event to happen in this village,” she said.

Grace is advocating for the expedited construction of the Selampit Bridge to prevent similar incidents in the future.

In the somber atmosphere, villagers and community leaders gathered to express their deep sorrow and pain over the tragedy.

Community leaders and villagers gathering at Kampung Bitokan, Lundu in a sombre mood on Aug 21, 2024.

Search efforts are ongoing for the remaining two victims — 14-year-old Alsma Jithil and 16-year-old Helena Fasha Petrus — all students of SMK Senibong.

The search, involving multiple agencies including the Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba), police, K9 Unit, Drone Unit, Civil Defence Force (APM), Sarawak Rivers Board (SRB), and People’s Volunteer Corps (Rela), along with a large group of villagers, resumed at 7am today.

The boat, which capsized while crossing the river from Kampung Selampit at approximately 6.10am on Tuesday (Aug 20), was carrying about 20 passengers, including 16 students, four adults, and a motorcycle. — DayakDaily