KOTA KINABALU: A search and rescue operation has been mounted by the Sabah and Labuan Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) to find a fisherman believed to have fallen into sea off Pulau Manukan here on Monday (Feb 27).
Sabah and Labuan Maritime director First Admiral Datuk Mohd Rosli Abdullah said the operation centre received an emergency call from the boat owner in the afternoon, alerting that a 24-year-old Indonesian worker could not be located in the boat that morning.
"The boat skipper realised the victim was missing around 9am when the boat was about five nautical miles from Pulau Manukan.
"The victim was wearing black shorts and was shirtless when he was last seen.
"We activated the search at 3pm with the assistance of other agencies and authorities, where two of our boats were sent to the location to conduct preliminary search," said Mohd Rosli in a statement.
The operation was postponed at 6.30pm and will continue on Tuesday (Feb 28) morning at 7am, he added.
"MMEA is seeking the cooperation of the maritime community to inform us if they found any leads or information about the incident, by contacting the operation centre at 088-387 774 or emergency line 999 (MERS)," said Mohd Rosli.
