Semporna boat explosion incident: Boy's body exhumed from fresh grave, police searching for boy's father

KOTA KINABALU: Search and rescue operations for two missing people following an explosion on a pump boat in waters off Semporna on Wednesday (Jan 12) has taken a new twist as police retrieved the body of a young boy from a fresh grave.

Semporna OCPD Supt Mohd Farhan Lee said that police were led to a fresh grave at a burial site in Kg Halo where they recovered the body of a boy on Friday (Jan 14).

"The deceased is a foreigner believed to be 10 years old, based on the physical condition of the body," he said in a statement.

He said that police had obtained a court order to exhume the body.

The body was sent to Semporna hospital for post-mortem to determine the cause of death, he added.

He said police were now also hunting for the boy's father known as Astari, in his 40s. He is a foreigner living in Kg Halo in Semporna.

Public who have any information on his whereabouts can contact investigating Insp Muhammad Nur Faez Hazreeq Abdullah at 019-813 9851 / 08-978 2020.

However, police have ascertained that the incident actually happened a day earlier on Tuesday (Jan 11).

Supt Farhan said that the deceased was buried on Wednesday.

He said they were investigating the case under Section 304A of the Penal Code for causing death due to negligence.

It is believed that the blast was from a fish bomb accidentally going off, killing the boy.

Supt Farhan urged anyone with information on fish bombing activities to come forward.

He said that fish bombing was illegal and an offence under the Explosives Act 1957.

Meanwhile, Sabah Fire and Rescue Department said on Saturday (Jan 15) that they have called off the search for the missing two following the latest development.