Teacher and student drown, four missing after dragon boat mishap

Four students missing in boat mishap

GEORGE TOWN: A dragon boat training session involving Chung Ling High School students ended in tragedy when a teacher and a student drowned after the vessel capsized in the waters off Macallum Street Ghaut here.

Four students are still missing.

The boat with 18 people on board had become unstable after being hit by strong waves and it crashed into a tugboat moored nearby. It capsized after it was hit by a second wave at 9am yesterday.

The authorities mounted a search and rescue operation involving some 100 personnel to locate the missin g students. Rescue operations were called off at 7pm when night fell although surveillance was still being conducted at press time.

Fifteen students, two instructors from the Penang Forward Sports Club (which had adopted the school team) and a teacher were on board when tragedy struck. It is learnt that only 12 of the 18 on board wore life jackets.

The body of teacher Chin Aik Siang, 28, was found at 11am while that of Jason Ch’ng, 17, was found at 2.50pm. Ch’ng was among those wearing life jackets.

The missing students have been identified as Brendon Yeoh, Goh Yi Zhiang, Cheah Zi Jun, all 17, and Wang Yong Xiang, 16.

They had gone out to sea for their weekly training in preparation for a competition in July. The race has always been held at the Teluk Bahang dam but the venue was changed last year to the Bandar Sri Pinang fisherman’s jetty off Jelutong Expressway.

Student Kuah Zi Xun, who was sitting at the rear of the boat, said the group was on its final lap when the vessel was hit by a strong wave.

“It then rammed into a tugboat. A second strong wave hit us and overturned the boat. All of us were thrown out. A strong undercurrent pulled all of us down,” he said.

Zi Xun said only 12 of them managed to swim up to the surface and stayed afloat.

Some of them swam some 400m to the shore while others were rescued by passing fishermen in two boats.

Three students were admitted at the Penang Hospital for minor injuries while another was discharged after receiving outpatient treatment.

Devastated parents of the missing boys wept uncontrollably near the scene.

Penang Forward Sports Club chairman C.H. Lim said the team’s coach from his club, Tan Kok Thek, told him that the team had paused in the middle of the sea as the new rowers were tired.

“He said there was a sudden undercurrent and the helmsman lost control. It then hit a tugboat.”

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said 16 boats from various government agencies were conducting the surface patrols.

Search and Rescue Operations head Mohd Razam Taja Rahim said the scuba unit went as far down as 12m in their search.

“Two bodies which were recovered earlier had their life jackets on. They were found some 50m apart. Some of the survivors who were pulled to safety were not wearing life jackets,” he said.

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