SAR for fishermen gone missing at Kuala Serupai called off

SAR for missing fishermen ended on Friday.

By Malcolm Lau

KUCHING, Sept 25: Search and Rescue (SAR) efforts for two fisherman who went missing at Kuala Serupai, Tatau has been ended after no further clues were found on Friday.

The boat they were in was believed to have capsized when they were on their to Pelantar Minyak Temana A area on the September 17, 2020. An SAR was activated and the search had been ongoing for the past week but the missing victims were yet to be found.

According to the Acting Director of Malaysian Maritime Agency Enforcement (APMM) Bintulu Zone, Commander Effendy Mohamed Fadil, the operation had been ongoing for nine days and no further clues were spotted during the operation.

“The operation ended at 5pm and will be continued if any further clues or signs are found,” Effendy said in the press statement.

“I would like to express my gratitude to all the authorities who assisted in the operation.” Effendy added.

According to Effendy, a total of 19 emergency cases were reported from January 2020 until September 2020 and five of the cases recorded to have happened in September 2020.

“We have saved 14 victims from the reported cases and one death was reported while another four victims were still yet to be found,” Effendy said.

Effendy urged the marine communities to enforce their safety when they went out to sea starting September 24 to November 2020.

“Postpone all marine activities if necessary and always wear a life jacket while on the sea. Always bring along the Personal Locater Beacon(PLB) as APMM will be able to locate the. If emergency happens,” Effendy noted. -DayakDaily