SIPITANG: Around 5,000 people from the district, as well as from Sarawak, Labuan and Brunei, gathered at the Sipitang Esplanade this evening to participate in a peaceful solidarity rally for Zara Qairina Mahathir.

Dressed in white, participants carried banners, state flags, and placards bearing the hashtag #justice4zara.

A representative of the organisers, Dayang Nor Syafiqah Abdul Hamid, said the turnout exceeded their expectations despite unfavourable weather.

"Today, we held a peaceful solidarity gathering for the late Zara Qairina in Sipitang — her birthplace and where she grew up. We estimate around 5,000 people came from across the district and Sabah, as well as from Brunei, Sarawak, and Labuan.

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"This far exceeds our original target, which was only about 2,000 to 3,000 participants," she said.

Dayang Nor Syafiqah added that she and her group of eight organisers hoped a transparent investigation would be carried out in the name of justice for Zara Qairina.

"We are hoping for a transparent outcome, especially as the post-mortem is currently being conducted. All we want is justice for the late Zara Qairina," she said.

Zara, a Form One student at a religious school in Papar, Sabah, was found unconscious after allegedly falling from the dormitory building.

She was pronounced dead at Queen Elizabeth I Hospital at 1.07pm on July 17.

The 13-year-old student's body arrived at 10.30pm yesterday after being exhumed from the Tanjung Ubi Muslim Cemetery in Sipitang at 7.30pm.

It was sent to the Radiology Department for a CT scan before being kept at the Medical Forensics Department.

On July 31, Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Jauteh Dikun stated that police were not ruling out the possibility that bullying was involved in the incident.