By DayakDaily Team
SIBU, July 7: Six Indonesian passengers, including a boy, remain missing after a boat carrying 17 people capsized near Kampung Belawai beach earlier today.
The incident has claimed the lives of four individuals, including two women, one boy, and one girl, whose bodies were recovered by rescuers.
The Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) Tanjung Manis received an emergency call at 2.11pm and immediately deployed a team of six firefighters to the scene, located about 22km from the station.
Upon arrival, the Operations Deployment Team (PKO) discovered that the capsized vessel was a fibreglass boat carrying 17 Indonesian nationals along with daily essentials.
Seven passengers survived the incident, comprising four men, including the boat operator, two women, and one boy.
The ill-fated boat had departed from the Kampung Belawai fishermen’s jetty and was en route to the coconut plantation jetty when it capsized just before reaching its destination.
A shoreline search and rescue (SAR) operation was launched, covering a three-kilometre radius. Bomba personnel conducted the search using a rescue boat, supported by a Sarawak Coast Guard vessel.
The search was called off at 6pm due to nightfall and will resume tomorrow morning (July 6) with additional teams from Bomba Sibu and Betong.
The Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM), Civil Defence Force (APM), the People’s Volunteer Corps (Rela) and villagers were also involved in the ongoing SAR operation. — DayakDaily
