BODY OF SECOND VICTIM OF CAPSIZED FISHING BOAT FOUND

BATU PAHAT, June 23 (Bernama) -- The body of the second fisherman reported missing after a boat overturned in the waters of Tanjung Segenting was found at 11.30 am today.

Batu Pahat maritime zone director maritime commander Mohd Haniff Mohd Yusuf said the body of Tan Hai Lian, 62, was found washed up the shore of Pantai Koris, Senggarang, by members of the public.

In a statement today, he said that the body had been handed over to the police for further action.

Mohd Haniff said that the third day of the search and rescue (SAR) operation to locate the missing fishermen began at 7 am and involved a search area of 129 nautical miles at sea and 104 nautical miles by aircraft.

On Friday, four fishermen, aged between 43 and 63, were reported missing after their boat capsized approximately 6.8 nautical miles southwest of Tanjung Segenting due to strong waves caused by bad weather.

Yesterday, the body of Chiah Kah Chong, 51, the skipper of the boat, was discovered at 7 pm by another fisherman who happened to be passing near the site where the boat capsized.

Meanwhile, in a separate incident, Mohd Haniff said that the Johor Bahru Maritime Rescue Sub-Centre (MRSC) received information from the Marine Department regarding a passenger aboard the MV Cas ferry who fell into the sea about 16 nautical miles off Parit Jawa, Muar, today.

He said that Juli Afriko, 30, an Indonesian national, reportedly fell into the sea around 3 pm when the MV Cas ferry was en route to Bengkalis, Indonesia.

“Following the incident, the Batu Pahat Maritime Zone has mobilised a patrol boat to conduct a SAR operation at the location where the victim was reported to have fallen into the sea,” he said.

He added that the SAR operation was divided into nine sectors: six at sea and three in the air, utilising the MI 171 aircraft from the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department and the AW 139 aircraft from the Royal Malaysia Police Air Operations Force.

-- BERNAMA