Fisherman who drifted for two days gets lucky

Counting his blessings: Egimisak was given food and drink after he was rescued.

KOTA KINABALU: A local fisherman drifted for two days at sea without food and water after his boat ran out of fuel.

However, 63-year-old Egimisak Besak was lucky to have been swept to an offshore navy station on the west coast of Sabah on Saturday. He sought help from the personnel there.

In a statement, the Malaysian navy’s Eastern Fleet Command headquarters said the victim was among six in smaller boats lowered down from a mother fishing vessel on March 30 to carry out fishing activities.

However, the victim lost contact with the mother boat when his boat ran out of fuel.

“The victim drifted for two days before it was swept to the offshore naval station,” the statement said.

The navy said the victim, from Pulau Gaya, was given food and clothing after he was rescued.

The navy said he is in stable condition and will be sent back to Kota Kinabalu as soon as possible.