KAPIT, Nov 22 — The victim of a boat wreck downstream of Jeram Pelagus near here on Tuesday was found drowned in Nanga Makoh by the search and rescue team (SAR) at 3.30pm yesterday.

Kapit Fire and Rescue Station (BBP) chief who is also the commander of the SAR operation, Timothy Barat, said the victim’s body was then taken to the Kapit jetty and handed over to the police for further action.

"With the discovery of the victim’s body, the SAR operation which entered the second day was terminated at 4.50 pm,” he said in a statement yesterday.

Today’s operation, which began at 8am, was concentrated in an area of 30km from the incident site to the downstream of Batang Rajang with a search method on the river surface.

In the incident on Tuesday evening, the victim, who was piloting the boat, went missing while his wife and employees were safe after the fibreglass boat they were travelling in hit a rock downstream of Jeram Pelagus when they were heading from Rumah Belaja in Nanga Benin to Kapit town.

The victim’s wife and employees carried out an immediate search but he was not found.

The Fire and Rescue station were notified of the incident at 9.17 pm. — Bernama