Missing seven-year-old Bau boy found safe

KUCHING (Feb 5): A seven-year-old boy who was reported missing from his house in Kampung Tembawang Sauh, Bau on Wednesday has been found safe.

Bau police chief Supt Mohd Haide A. Rahman said Kelvin Martin Beger was located at around 2.30pm following a multi-agency search-and-rescue (SAR) operation.

“The child suffered some minor injuries and was given initial treatment by personnel from the Fire and Rescue Department’s Emergency Medical Rescue Services Unit and the Civil Defence Force,” he said in a statement.

The SAR operation commenced earlier today, with rescuers divided into four teams covering areas around the village and nearby foothills.

In an earlier statement, Mohd Haide said the child’s disappearance was reported at 6.30pm on Wednesday after an initial search by the boy’s family and villagers failed to locate him.

“The incident is believed to have occurred around 1.30pm when the child’s mother, who was in the bathroom doing laundry, noticed he was not in the house.

“Initial searches by villagers found a pair of pants believed to belong to the child on a rock at the foot of a hill, approximately 2km from his home,” he said.

He added that Kelvin, who is the youngest of eight children, is a Year 1 pupil at SK Jugan Bau who holds an intellectual disability card.

A total of 61 personnel from the Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba), police, Civil Defence Force (APM) and People’s Volunteer Corps, as well as local villagers, were involved in the search.