KLANG: The search and rescue (SAR) operation to locate a couple who went missing after their boat capsized in the waters off Tanjung Harapan on Friday (June 6) evening, continued on Saturday (June 7), with efforts focused on raising the sunken vessel.
Selangor Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) Enforcement and Excise Unit operations officer, Maritime Lieutenant Mohd Syafiq Sazali, said that the boat was partially refloated at 2.20pm, after which the team began pumping out the water.
"The next step involves deploying divers to secure ropes to the underside of the boat to lift or elevate its front section,” he said.
"Once that is done, we will pump out the remaining water and inspect the vessel to determine if there are any victims’ bodies inside,” he told reporters at the search site in Tanjung Harapan on Saturday.
In the incident, which occurred around 5pm on Friday, three individuals, including a child, were found dead, while a couple remain missing, after the boat they were in capsized in the waters off Tanjung Harapan, Port Klang.
The missing victims have been identified as Gan Hon Tat, 32, and his wife, Careen Man, 29, both from Klang Utama.
Tragically, their three-year-old son, Darren Gan, was among the three found dead in the front compartment of the boat, alongside family friends Cheu Son Hin, 50, and Fong Yong Sen, 29.
Another victim, Chang Yan Qin Alvin, 17, was successfully rescued by a group of fishermen.
Meanwhile, Mohd Syafiq said that the SAR operation, which resumed at 7am on Saturday, involved four assets from various security agencies, in addition to three more provided by the Royal Selangor Yacht Club (RSYC).
He added that the high tide significantly aided the efforts to raise the boat, as it still had some buoyancy, making it easier for the diving team to attach the rope needed to lift it.- Bernama
