Muhammad Abdullah, 22, Mohd Sazwan Rahim and Azrul Hisham Azman, both 27, drowned while picnicking with three other friends at the waterfall about 10.30 am yesterday.

The witness, Muhammad Hisyam Haris, 21, who is also a friend of the victims, said the body of Azrul Hisham was first to be found.

“It was difficult to retrieve Mohamad and Mohd Sazwan’s bodies as they were at the bottom of a whirlpool,” he said when met by reporters in the compound of the Kuala Lumpur Hospital’s forensic unit.

Relating the incident, the Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM) student said he wanted to help Muhammad, an International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM) student, who slipped and fell while trying to retrieve his slipper that had fallen into the whirlpool.

But, the deep water and the strong currents forced Muhammad Hisyam to make a difficult decision not to go ahead with his intention.

“The whirlpool was about four metres deep. Azrul Hisham and Mohd Sazwan dived to rescue Muhammad, but they also drowned,” he said, referring to the actions of the two USIM students.

Muhammad Hisham said he and the three victims and two other friends left Nilai, Negeri Sembilan, at 6am and arrived at the waterfall about 10am.

Meanwhile, Mohd Sazwan’s mother, Sharifah Abdul Hamid, 49, said the last time she had seen her son was during Aidilfitri celebrations.

“Mohd Sazwan was a quiet boy, he rarely came home but we often communicated via WhatsApp.

“I found out about the incident via a telephone call from his friend…I was shocked. It was so unexpected, but I accept God’s will,” she said.

Mohd Sazwan is expected to be laid to rest at the Batu Muda Islamic Cemetery in Gombak this morning while Muhammad and Azrul Hisham are expected to be taken to their hometowns in Malacca and Johor, respectively.