By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Jan 14: A 44-year-old Indonesian man is feared drowned after he was believed to have fallen into the Rejang River near Jalan Upper Lanang in Sibu yesterday evening (Jan 13).
According to a report from the Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba), the victim, identified as Muhaji, was reported to have fallen into the river at about 6pm while at his workplace aboard a sand vessel known as Megakina 9.
BBP Sibu Sentral received an emergency call at 12.40pm today before deploying a search and rescue (SAR) team to the incident location, about 35 kilometres away. Firefighters arrived at the scene at 1.30pm and established a control post.
Operations Commander PBK I Chuma Jadam said initial information from a police report stated that a colleague of the victim, identified as Rasit Benang, saw Muhaji preparing to bathe when he suddenly slipped and fell from the sand vessel into the Rejang River.
Search and rescue operations began at 1.40pm using surface search methods.
A Bomba rescue boat and its crew conducted searches within a two-kilometre radius downstream before expanding the search area.
By 3.30pm, the rescue boat crew reported completing a search covering a three-kilometre radius.
The operation continued until 5pm, with searches extending up to five kilometres downstream and seven kilometres upstream.
Despite efforts by the rescue team, assisted by one Marine Police boat and one Malaysian Civil Defence Force boat, the victim was not found.
The search and rescue operation was suspended at 5pm today and will resume tomorrow. — DayakDaily
