ALOR SETAR, Dec 16 — The body of a man, believed to have drowned since visitors at the Tanjung Rhu Beach in Langkawi saw him struggling for help in the middle of the sea, yesterday evening, has been found today.

Langkawi District Police Chief ACP Shariman Ashari said the victim was identified as Mohammad Khairie Shaari, 32, who worked at a jewellery shop on the island at around 6:55 pm today.

"The victim’s body was found about 250 metres from where he was believed to have drowned, and identification was made by the victim’s mother. The body was later sent to the Forensic Unit of Sultanah Maliha Hospital, Langkawi, for post-mortem.

"The search and rescue (SAR) operation, involving 46 police personnel from the Fire and Rescue Department, the Malaysian Civil Defence Force, and the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA), was therefore concluded at 7.05 pm,” he said in a statement today.

Earlier, Bernama reported that a man was feared to have drowned after police received information about the incident from the public at 6.16 pm yesterday, reporting the sighting of a person struggling for help in the middle of the sea near the tip of Tanjung Rhu Beach, presumably before drowning. — Bernama