GEORGE TOWN, Feb 15 — The search and rescue operation for a passenger believed to have fallen into the sea from a ferry today has been called off at 7.30pm and will resume tomorrow, Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) director Capt Hamizan Harun said today.

He said today’s operation, which began at 9.50am, failed to locate the victim, whose identity was still unknown.

"In the 9.20am incident, the passenger is said to have fallen from the ferry about 1.2km northwest of the Butterworth Ferry Terminal,” he said, adding that MMEA’s operation was assisted by the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department and Marine Police team.

Meanwhile, Rapid Ferry Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Prasarana Malaysia Bhd, which operates the ferry services here, has begun an internal inquiry in connection with the incident.

It said in a statement that a crew member of the Pulau Undan ferry had thrown a lifebuoy to where the victim was spotted but lost sight of him. — Bernama