KUANTAN (Bernama): Two men drowned after they fell into an iron ore mining pool in Batu Talam, Raub on Friday (Sept 10).

       According to Raub district police chief, Supt Kama Azural Mohamed, a friend of the victims - Malaysian Siak Teck Wah, 53, and Indonesian Adi Piter, 25 - realised they had fallen into the water at 10.40am.

       Based on early investigations, they are believed to have been sucked into a drain pipe in the approximately 5m-deep pool.

       "The body of Adi Piter was discovered at 12.30pm near the drain pipe but took some time to recover because of strong water pressure and his legs were stuck in the pipe.

       "A digger was used to help water drain faster from the pool to look for Siak, whose body was discovered near the first victim at 1.15pm,” said Supt Kama Azural in a statement Friday.

       He said the bodies were recovered by the Pahang Fire and Rescue Department at 1.20pm and sent to Hospital Raub for a post-mortem.

       In a statement, Pahang Bomba said seven personnel and two types of equipment from the Raub station were dispatched to the scene after receiving a call at 11.17am.

       "An excavator was used to dig a ditch to lower the water level, while a rope was used to help raise the bodies," the statement read. - Bernama