BATU PAHAT: The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) intends to extend the search area for four fishermen who went missing when their boat overturned in the waters of Tanjung Segenting on Friday (June 21).
Batu Pahat Maritime Zone director Cmdr (Maritime) Mohd Haniff Mohd Yunus said the search and rescue operation will be extended to the coastal areas around which the overturned boat was reported to have drifted from where it had capsized in the middle of the sea.
"The search will be conducted there because the surrounding geographical conditions are muddy and swampy. It is also based on testimony from the rescued victim, who said that all of them managed to jump overboard before the boat capsized.
"The chances of the missing victims being found safely are still there if they are wearing life jackets or are clinging to floating objects, or if they are found by other seafarers," he told reporters at a media conference at the Batu Pahat Maritime Zone Base on Saturday (June 22).
He said the search and rescue operation had stopped at 7pm and would resume at 7am on Sunday (June 23), and that an MMEA helicopter would be involved in the search.
Five local fishermen, aged 43 to 63, were reported to have jumped overboard when their boat overturned at around 6.8 nautical miles southwest of Tanjung Segenting at about 6am when it was hit by strong waves due to bad weather.
Four fishermen, boat captain Chia Kah Chong, 51; Raud Daud @ Hamid, 53; Tan Hai Lian, 62; and Lee Pong Ling, 63, are still missing, while Tan Siak Bin, 43, was rescued by nearby fishermen at around 8am on Friday. – Bernama
