Regatta Tragedy: Day Two Of SAR Operation Yields No Leads - Police

KUCHING, Oct 19 (Bernama) -- No findings and clues emerged on the second day of the search and rescue (SAR) operation for the five victims who went missing after their regatta boat capsized during a training session in the Sarawak River yesterday.

Kuching district police chief ACP Mohd Farhan Lee Abdullah said the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) had conducted 10 dives after detecting an object in the riverbed; however, all yielded negative results due to zero visibility.

“We also conducted boat patrols using 21 assets along a 10-kilometre (km) stretch from the Sarawak River barrage to the site of the incident and deployed two drones, but nothing has emerged so far.

“We received help from non-governmental organisations such as the Sarawak Jetski Sports Association, the Volunteer Fire Brigade, the Sarawak Fishing Club, and villagers for this operation,” he said at the SAR centre at Royal Bay Commercial Centre here today.

According to Mohd Farhan Lee, the victims’ families had been informed of the latest developments on the second day of the SAR operation, which was suspended at 6.00 pm today.

Commenting further, he said a dog named Bella from the K9 Unit (Dog Detection Unit) and a helicopter from the JBPM Air Operations Team (PGU) would be deployed on the third day of the operation, which was set to begin as early as 6.00 am tomorrow, to locate the five victims.

“We will also deploy monitoring personnel at the Sarawak River barrage..and an additional PGU helicopter asset to assist us up to Bako, so hopefully the search area will be more comprehensive,” he said.

A total of five regatta rowers were reported to have been feared drowned at around 3.50 pm yesterday in the Sarawak River near Royal Bay Commercial Centre along Jalan Buruh Bintawa here while undergoing training when their boat sank in the wake of choppy waves from a fishing vessel coming from the opposite direction.

In the incident, only 11 of the 16 regatta participants, who were also Sarawak Security and Enforcement Unit (UKPS) personnel, managed to save themselves after their boat sank.

The other four missing victims are Mohamad Ikhmal Sama’ail, 34, Majurie Maharuf, 32, Mohd Afiq Isyamudin Asaari, 26, and Mohamad Khairul Bidin, 26.

The rowers were undergoing training for the highlight of the Sarawak-Kuching 2024 Waterfront Regatta Festival, which will be held from Nov 1 to 3.

-- BERNAMA