BAGAN SERAI, ‘My siblings and I have always turned to him for advice and shared all our thoughts and concerns with him since our father’s passing in 2011,’ said Muhamad Shazarul Abdull Fatah, 32, the younger brother of Muhamad Firdaus Abdull Fatah, who was killed in an explosion on a ship in Samalaju waters, Bintulu, Sarawak, last Friday.

Muhamad Shazarul described the late Muhamad Firdaus, the sixth of nine siblings, as a caring and responsible brother who was particularly attentive to his siblings in matters concerning the family.

‘Muhamad Firdaus was always the person we relied on for family matters; for any decisions, we consistently sought his advice even when we were miles apart.

‘A kind and patient person, he was a tremendous help to the family and well-loved by everyone. We suffered another loss after the death of our eldest brother (the fifth child) in 2016,’ he told Bernama here today.

Muhamad Firdaus, 36, was laid to rest at 7.25 am today at the Kampung Parit Jay Muslim Cemetery in Matang Jelu
tong here.

Muhamad Amirul Syafiq Abdull Fatah, 28, meanwhile said he had not anticipated his brother’s early ‘return’ to the village for what was supposed to be a holiday.

‘He had told us of his plans to return for a holiday next week, and was eagerly looking forward to the trip. The last time I saw him was during Aidilfitri.

‘We never expected that his return today would be marked by such sorrow. We accept it as fate,’ he said, adding that Muhamad Firdaus had not shown any unusual signs prior to the incident but frequently apologised whenever he left for Bintulu.

Muhamad Firdaus was among two people killed in the explosion which occurred in the engine room of Icon Amara. The other killed was identified as Oiler, George Ngilah, 24, from Sibu.

Another crew member was seriously injured.

The incident involving the Icon Amara happened at about 10.40 pm when the ship was heading to the Patricia platform.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency