KOTA KINABALU: China's Consul-General in Sabah Chen Peijie has expressed satisfaction with search and rescue efforts following the capsize of a boat carrying Chinese tourists off Sabah on Saturday.
The catamaran carrying 28 Chinese tourists and three crew capsized at about 10am on Saturday after being hit by strong winds and huge waves an hour after leaving the Tanjung Aru jetty here for Pulau Mengalum, a tourist attraction about 56km northwest of Kota Kinabalu.
Twenty tourists and two crew have been rescued while three tourists were found dead following the mishap.
Chen told reporters at Marine Police base on Sunday night that Chinese President Xi Jinping had expressed concern over the missing tourists and that he wanted her to cooperate with the Sabah and Malaysian governments in the search and rescue effort.
Chen, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Dr Shahidan Kassim, Sabah Assistant Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Datuk Pang Yuk Ming and Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency director-general Admiral (Maritime) Datuk Seri Ahmad Puzi Ab Kahar were at the base on Sunday to receive the survivors being brought ashore.
Chen said she was informed by the Malaysian authorities that more assets would be deployed in the search and that the area of operation would be extended.
She also said that families of the survivors would be informed once the necessary processes had been completed.
She said she was ready to assist the families of the victims if they wanted to come to Sabah – Bernama
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