The body of film director Firdaus ‘Pitt’ Hanif was found at 4.25pm in Sungai Jelai, Kuala Lipis today.
Firdaus, 43, went missing after a fibreglass boat he and his friend was in during a fishing trip hit a bridge pole near the Gemunchur bridge in Mela and capsized at about 1pm yesterday.
Firdaus (right)
The boat broke in two and Pitt was carried away by the strong current. His friend managed to save himself.
Zone 3 Fire and Rescue chief Shahrulnizam Nasir said Firdaus’ body was found floating in the river, some 500 metres away from where he was last seen.
Shahrulnizam, who led the search and rescue (SAR) operation, said the body was found by the department’s scuba team.
The victim’s body has been handed over to the police and sent to the Lipis Hospital for a post-mortem.
He said the search and rescue team were aided by good weather conditions.
“The weather today was much better despite strong currents,” he said.
Firdaus is the son of actress Fauziah Nawi.
The SAR operation involved 15 boats and 74 personnel from the department, Civil Defence Force, the police as well as local residents. – NST