By DayakDaily Team
KAPIT, June 2: The search and rescue (SAR) operation for a 32-year-old man feared drowned after a boat capsized in the river near SK Nanga Balang Gaat ended with the recovery of his body on this morning.
Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) Kapit reported that villagers discovered the victim’s body at about 7.10am and alerted the authorities.
Police and Bomba teams were then dispatched to the location, which took approximately two hours of travel time.
Upon arrival, rescuers retrieved the body from the river and transported it to the village jetty before handing it over to the police for further action.
In the incident on Sunday (May 31) at about 6.15pm, the boat carrying six people struck a submerged rock in the middle of the river and capsized.
While the others managed to swim to safety, the victim was last seen drifting about 50 metres from the overturned boat before disappearing from sight.
The Bomba team received an emergency call on Monday (June 1) at 9.28am and immediately deployed a SAR team, arriving at the location at 10.42am, a distance of about 72km from the station.
Initial search efforts began shortly after arrival, covering a six-kilometre radius along the river using surface water search techniques in a zig-zag pattern. The operation was assisted by villagers from a nearby longhouse, who also provided boats as the department’s aluminium vessel was unable to access the area due to shallow river conditions.
Search operations were later extended to both riverbanks but yielded no results. The mission was suspended at 3.30pm due to heavy rain. — DayakDaily
