KOTA KINABALU: Six members of a seven-person team sent to recover a body found near the Tanjung Aru 3 area had to jump into the sea after their boat caught fire, with one staying aboard to guard the corpse.
At the same time, those in the water had to keep watch for saltwater crocodiles in the area, after reports of sightings there.
In the 2.40am incident on Monday (March 2), the team of Civil Defence and police responders, as well as a crime reporter, had just retrieved the body after a call came in at 1.20am.
"Halfway to shore, the engine broke down and when we tried to restart it, there was a spark and it burst into flames," said veteran crime reporter Junaidi Ladjana, who joined the operation.
He said they tried to put out the fire while one Civil Defence personnel pulled the body away from the flames.
"But then there was an explosion in the engine and the fire got bigger, so I jumped straight into the sea and saw that others followed suit," he recalled, adding that they were also afraid crocodiles might attack them.
He said that the fire did not spread further, allowing the Civil Defence responder guarding the body to stay put.
"We had lifejackets on, stayed together and clung to each other to keep from being washed away by strong currents. We were told not to let go while waiting for help to arrive," he added.
Help did arrive after 40 minutes, and all the responders were rescued while the body was transferred to another boat.
It is learnt that two Civil Defence officials and a policeman were slightly injured.
Police are expected to issue a statement about the body later.
