KUANTAN - The father of Nazrul Aimi Shah, 15, who is feared to have drowned at Pantai Cempaka here, has never stopped praying that his son will be found soon.
Kamarul Bahri Mohd Nazri, 50, said a solat hajat (wishful prayers) was performed in several mosques on Friday night to pray that Allah will ease the search for his son.
In addition to the rescue team, family members also helped in the search for the victim.
"I really hope that my son will be found soon," he said when met at the scene of the incident today.
Kamarul Bahri said the victim, who is the third child of five siblings, had told his mother that he wanted to go out to play 'games' with his friends.
"His mother had allowed it since she thought he went to play around the residential area in Taman Kempadang Perdana.
"We didn't expect him to go here (Pantai Cempaka) which is about 10 kilometers away from home.
"We would have prohibited him if he said he wanted to come here," he explained.
He said his son was a diligent child who always helped his mother to do chores and he especially loved to go fishing.
"There was no change in his attitude before the incident.
"It's just that he had brought home a meal given to him after Friday prayers and shared the food with his mother," he said.
Meanwhile, Kuantan district police chief Assistant Commissioner Wan Mohd Zahari Wan Busu said the search was still ongoing.
He said the search operation is focusing on patrols along Pantai Cempaka coastal area since it was not suitable to use lifeboats due to strong winds and high waves in the area.
Nazrul Aimi Shah, who is a student from Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Sungai Soi was reported missing after he was hit by waves while bathing with his four friends at the beach on Friday afternoon.
In the incident that occured at about 4pm, his other friends had survived.