CHUKAI, Aug 12 — The search and rescue (SAR) operation for the two remaining victims of the fishing boat capsizing incident in the waters of Kemaman resumed at 7am today.
The two missing victims are Yusof Kassam, 66, from Raub, Pahang, and Aina Husna Mohamad Husaini, 25, from Selayang, Selangor.
Kemaman Maritime Zone operations deputy director Muhammad Faisal Abdul Rahim said today’s operation involves 25 personnel from various agencies and the deployment of three maritime and two aerial assets.
“The three maritime assets belong to the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA), the Royal Malaysia Police, and the Royal Malaysian Navy. The aerial assets comprise a helicopter owned by the Fire and Rescue Department and a Bombardier belonging to MMEA.
“Today’s search area has been expanded to 262 square miles, with 195 square miles allocated for the air sector and 67 square miles for the sea sector,” he told reporters at the SAR forward base at the MMEA Kemaman Maritime Zone here today.
He said the search is expected to proceed smoothly with normal wave heights of 0.5 to 1 metre and winds blowing from the south-west at around 10 to 15 knots.
He said this second day of the SAR operation is focused on the waters of Kemaman and Kijal, not far from where the second body, that of assistant tekong Shahril Ismail, 50, was found yesterday.
In the incident, which occurred at about 6.30am yesterday, the fishing boat carrying nine people capsized after being struck by a barge approximately seven nautical miles or 13 kilometres off Kuala Kemaman.
Two people, identified as Siti Zamimah Mohman Zobini, 29, and Shahril, drowned in the incident while Yusof and Aina Husna are still missing. The other five individuals were rescued.
Muhammad Faisal said that authorities are still tracking the barge involved to assist in the investigation. — Bernama
