By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Dec 24: The fifth crew member of a local fishing vessel believed to have capsized near Pulau Burong waters has been found safe, leaving only one person still missing.
Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) Sarawak director, First Admiral Kamal Ariffin Jusoh, said the rescued victim has been identified as Thy Ny, 41, a Cambodian national.
“The victim was reportedly found by a tugboat at 3.87 nautical miles west of Tanjung Po around 3pm yesterday (Dec 23) and was brought ashore at Sibu jetty,” he said in a statement today.
This leaves only one more crew member still missing, Chaloem Sonada, 64, a Thai national.
It was previously reported that the vessel, with six foreign nationals onboard—two Indonesians, three Cambodians, and a Thai—lost contact after heading out to sea on Dec 17.
A report was filed by a local complainant at 6.43pm on Monday (Dec 23), prompting the activation of Op Carilamat, a search and rescue operation, on the same day.
A local fishing vessel rescued three crew members, namely Khlok Sem, 32 (Cambodian); Andikah, 24 (Indonesian); and Irman, 23 (Indonesian), who were found in the sea off Tanjung Sipang wearing life jackets around 6pm yesterday (Dec 23).
On the second day of the operation (today), the fourth crew member, Ouen Van, 37, a Cambodian, was found safe in the area of Sungai Serpan, Asajaya, Kota Samarahan.
For the record, the last known location of the vessel was 7.5 nautical miles northeast of Tanjung Sipang, prior to experiencing a leak in the engine room. – DayakDaily
