A veteran journalist passed away after he collapsed due to a suspected heart attack and subsequently drowned in the process.
This comes after he tried to push his stalled car out of floodwaters while making his way back home before suffering a heart attack, leading to his demise.
Tried to free stalled car from floodwaters
According to China Press, 49-year-old Mohamad Asri Shafii was returning home after doing a live coverage about Malaysians being stranded in Hatyai, Thailand due to severe flooding.
While driving through a flooded road in Kangar, Perlis, the car suddenly stalled and he immediately got out to try pushing it out of the floodwaters.
As he was doing so, he suddenly collapsed and subsequently drowned despite rescuers’ efforts to save his life.
‘I love you all. Take care of yourselves’
Following Mohamad Asri’s death, his wife Norhanani Ahmad spoke to Astro Awani about the events that occurred prior to the tragedy.
According to her, she received a short voice note from Mohamad Asri, where he said: “Ayah sayang semua, jaga diri baik-baik.“ (Daddy loves all of you. Please take care of yourselves)
“He had expressed a strong wish to return home quickly as he was worried that our house in Perlis might be affected by the floods and was concerned about the family’s safety.
“He also had a history of heart-related issues, and I believe the prolonged coverage on the flood disaster, along with insufficient rest, may have placed too much strain on him,” she said.
Mohamad Asri previously worked as a journalist with Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) and the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) before joining Astro Awani in Perlis.
He is survived by his wife and six children, with the youngest being 11 years old.
Our condolences to the family for their loss.
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