77-year-old man feared drowned was due to remarry in December

Last night, a 77-year-old man named Mat Yusof Hashim was feared drowned when his car plunged into a river in Lubuk Kawah. Mat had been planning to remarry his partner on December 12. His son, Muhamad Noor, 43, told reporters that the family had accepted the incident and was hoping for a quick rescue of their father. The couple had been preparing for their marriage over the past two months, as Mat's wife had passed away in December of the previous year.

Mat had been living alone since then, and he was eager to remarry the woman he had chosen to spend the rest of his life with. His future wife, Nisun Che Mat, 69, said she had picked Mat up in Sidam after Asar prayers the previous day, and they had spent the evening discussing wedding plans. They had been together throughout the time he was driving home, and Mat seemed happy and spoke normally.

Nisun said that Mat had told her he would come to pick her up the following Monday for a blood test as part of the marriage registration process. A search and rescue operation is currently underway, but no leads have been found yet.