CHUKAI: The search and rescue (SAR) operation for four more missing victims of the water surge incident in Jeram Mawar, Air Putih here has expanded to a search radius of 32km.
Kemaman district police chief Supt Hanyan Ramlan said the search area has been divided into three sectors.
The first sector involves an area of up to 8km from the location of the incident, the second sector is the area from Air Putih Police Station to Sungai Pinang Dam (up to 15km), while the third sector is the area from Sungai Pinang towards the mouth of Sungai Kemaman (above 15km).
“The search radius has increased to 32km because of the strong current caused by heavy rain last night,” he told a press conference at the Operations Control Centre at Air Putih Police Station yesterday.
Supt Hanyan said the SAR team, comprising 163 members from various agencies led by the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department, has yet to find any clues on the missing victims’ whereabouts.
He urged villagers in the area to contact the police if they find any leads to assist the SAR mission.
The SAR team, he said, involves a total of 30 police personnel, Fire Department (65), General Operations Force (GOF) (46), Malaysian Civil Defence Force (APM) (four), non-governmental organisations (four) and a technical special force consisting of nine members of the public.
The team is also being assisted by tracker dogs from the Fire Department’s K9 unit.
The search ops halted at 5pm due to indications of heavy rain and will continue today.
Meanwhile, Terengganu Fire Department director Hassan ‘As’ari said the team will look at various elements in detail, especially involving the safety of the SAR team members due to the strong river current.
“Regarding access to the location, we have a strategy, in addition to deploying a team every 5km to 7km to search the surrounding areas,” he said. — Bernama
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