Sg Kayan boat tragedy: Third missing student a witty person, bright student, says aunt

SAR personnel bringing Helena's remains on shore to be handed to authorities at Kampung Bitokan jetty on Aug 21, 2024.

By Wilfred Pilo

KUCHING, Aug 21: Just a day before she went missing, SMK Senibong Lundu Form 2 student, 14-year-old Alsma Jithil, had happily told her aunt Jelio Nyodieng whom she was staying with, that she scored an A in science.

Alsma was unable to relay her happiness to her immediate family after the boat she was in capsized yesterday morning on Sungai Kayan at Kampung Selampit.

Jelio Nyodieng

Jelio, 51, recalled her niece was so happy about her results and even shared the news with all her cousins.

“She (Alasma) even shared with her cousin, my son who, was a year younger, and he was impressed by her academic excellence.

“That is how I remember her and her wit with us these past few days. We never expected this kind of tragedy as we had lived here our lifetime,” she told DayakDaily when met at the Search and Rescue Operation Centre at Kampung Bitokan today.

Jelio said her niece also shared her excitement over her class’s TikTok National Day 2024 celebration project.

Mutiar Nyodieng

Alsma’s mother, 50-year-old housewife Mutiar Nyodieng had expressed regret that she was not around to see her daughter off to school on Tuesday morning.

Mutiar, calm but sad, revealed she was away caring for her other daughter, a teacher on maternity leave at Lubok Antu when the tragedy struck.

“I was away most of the time and Alsma stayed with my sister whom she treated like her own mother,” she explained.

Mutiar hoped that the SAR team could locate her daughter so that it would close the chapter of this tragedy that had befallen the other victims, their families and the entire community of Kampung Selampit.

Alsma is the youngest of five siblings.

Teresa Nonyem

Teresa Nonyem, the 44-year-old mother of another victim, Helena Fasha Petrus, said she regretted her second daughter left yesterday morning for school without saying goodbye to her.

“It was a bit unusual for her to do that. I wanted to give her pocket money, but she left early.”

She shared that on the morning of the tragedy, they all woke up early at around 4am, and Helena would always set her alarm clock to that time.

“She left without saying goodbye, and that was the last I saw of her. I accept the tragedy that has left a big hole in our hearts,” she said.

Helena is the second child in the family of four children.

Helena’s body was found earlier today and brought to the Kampung Bitokan jetty to the SAR centre and taken by the authorities for further management. As of press time, Alsma has yet to be located. — DayakDaily