GEORGE TOWN: Four Indonesian fishermen went missing, while one was rescued by locals, after the boat carrying five foreigners was believed to have capsized yesterday, said Penang Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) director, Maritime Captain Abd Razak Mohamed.
He said that his team received information about the incident at about 12.25 pm yesterday, and a search and rescue (SAR or Carilamat) operation was activated yesterday evening to locate the missing fishermen.
“We received information from the owners of a local fishing boat that they found a man floating at approximately 7.5 nautical miles west of Sungai Kongsi, Balik Pulau near here at 12.25 pm yesterday.
“Upon receiving this information, MMEA ‘Kilat 26’ boat was deployed to the location to pick up the victim, an Indonesian man, in the waters off Gertak Sanggul, and then conducted a preliminary search to locate his missing friends,” he said in a statement here today.
He said that from an interview with the Indonesian man, known as Aswin, 43, it was found that the victim and four other fishermen, aged 30 to 55, had gone out to sea from Tanjung Balai Asahan, Indonesia, to fish, and had been at sea for almost five days before the boat capsized.
However, Abd Razak said that the man could not pinpoint the exact location where the boat capsized, as he was washed away by the waves before being found by local fishermen.
“According to the victim, he and his friends managed to put on safety jackets before they drifted apart from each other in the rough seas and strong winds.
“The man is in good condition and healthy, but no travel documents have been found on him,” he said.
He added that the search operation that entered the second day today, was being actively carried out involving an area of 42 square nautical miles, using MMEA assets.
He also said that the public with information on the incident can immediately channel it to the Penang Maritime Operations Centre at 04-262 6146 or the MERS 999 emergency line.-Bernama