KOTA KINABALU: For three days, a group of 11 people – including children and women – sat on top of their overturned boat in the turbulent waters off Sandakan, praying for help.
The group, comprising six women, two men and three children, encountered trouble while on their way to Semporna from Tawau on Wednesday.
The weather turned bad and they were battered by strong winds and big waves.
They were finally rescued by a passing cargo ship, which then alerted the Malaysian authorities.
According to a statement issued by the Royal Malaysian Navy at Sandakan on Friday, a storm had caused the boat to overturn before it began to slowly drift into international waters off the coast of Sibutu in the Philippines.
“Crew members on board the cargo vessel Tomini Dynasty spotted the victims and alerted authorities,” read the statement.
The cargo vessel rescued the victims and arrangements were made with the Malaysian navy to bring the rescued group back to the mainland.
KD Paus, a navy vessel that was patrolling not far from the area, was despatched to meet with Tomini Dynasty near Tanjung Labian for the handover of the passengers.
One of the victims, Siti Naun Osman, 25, informed authorities that they had travelled from Tawau to Semporna late on Wednesday before the weather turned bad, causing big and strong waves to hit the boat.
She said the group managed to scramble onto the overturned boat and stay afloat until help arrived.
Navy officials were told the victims huddled together at night due to the cold, but they managed to stay hydrated with the limited amount of food and drinks they managed to retrieve.
The victims were taken to Pulau Tambisan where they were handed over to the Lahad Datu marine police for further action, after they were given outpatient treatment when they landed.