GEORGE TOWN: An angler who was reported to have fallen into the sea near the Penang Bridge on Wednesday (July 15) was found dead on Thursday (July 16) morning.
Penang Fire and Rescue Department Operations assistant director John Sagun Francis said the body of Abdul Ghani Mohsin, 39, was found by fishermen at 10.26am, about two kilometres from where he was reported to have fallen.
"The body was brought ashore at the Batu Uban Jetty and handed over to the police before being taken to the Penang Hospital for further action,” he said in a statement on Wednesday.
He said the department received a call from the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) at 11.16am on Wednesday requesting assistance in a search and rescue (SAR) operation for an angler believed to have fallen into the sea while fishing at pillar number five of the Penang Bridge heading towards the island.
John said the SAR operation, coordinated by MMEA, involved an MMEA boat, with assistance from one boat each from JBPM, the Marine Police Force and the Malaysian Civil Defence Force.
He said the search was conducted using the water surface searching method within a radius of up to five kilometres from the location where the victim was reported to have fallen, with participation from JBPM’s Water Rescue Team.
On Wednesday, Penang MMEA director Maritime Captain Muhammad Suffi Mohd Ramli said the Penang State Maritime Operations Centre received a report on the incident at 6.10am, after which the SAR operation was activated by the Langkawi Maritime Rescue Sub-Centre. — Bernama
