BATU PAHAT: The body of a 68-year-old fisherman who went missing with his friends after their boat capsized in Tanjung Segenting last Friday (June 21) has been recovered in Muar.
The victim, Lee Pong Ling, was found by a ferry that was on its way to Muar from Bengkalis, Indonesia, at around 2pm on Tuesday (June 25), the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) said in a statement.
“The body was found some 25 nautical miles (46.3km) from where the boat capsized in Tanjung Segenting here last Friday (June 21).
“This brought the search and rescue mission, which lasted for five days, to an end as there were no signs of finding the final victim, 53-year-old Raud Darus@Hamid,” MMEA said.
It added that Lee’s body was brought to the Muar Marine Department jetty and handed over to the police for the necessary action.
Lee was among five local fishermen whose boat capsized 6.8 nautical miles (12.6km) south-west of Tanjung Segenting due to strong waves and bad weather at about 6am last Friday (June 21).
Tan Siak Bin, 43, was the first to be found alive at around 8am on Saturday (June 22) while the body of Chiah Kah Chong, 51, was found at 7pm on the same day.
The second victim, Tan Hai Lian, 62, was found along Pantai Koris here at around 11.30am on Sunday (June 23), some 12 nautical miles (22.22km) from where the boat capsized.
MMEA added that its maritime assets would continue looking out for the missing victim’s body during its routine patrols.
Meanwhile, MMEA said search and rescue efforts to look for 30-year-old Indonesian passenger Juli Afriko, who fell into the sea from a ferry at around 3pm on Sunday, were ongoing.
The ferry was on its way to Bengkalis when the incident occurred.
