Efforts to refloat sunken fishing boat hampered by bad weather - MMEA
19 Sep 2022 10:10am
The boat with four local fishermen was believed to have been hit by huge waves - Photo by MMEA
Batu Pahat Maritime Zone Director Maritime Commander Mohd Haniff Mohd Yunus said as of 6 pm, the effort was still ongoing with the help of local fishermen.
He said the search over 570 square nautical miles from the location of the incident involved 52 personnel from the MMEA, police and the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN).
"Whether the effort to refloat the fishing boat will continue tonight or resume tomorrow morning, we will decide later depending on the weather and the level of safety.
"I just hope that when the fishing boat is successfully refloated, the two fishermen who were reported missing before will be found," he said after inspecting efforts to refloat the boat with assistance from a private firm.
Mohd Haniff said that the rescue team managed to find the sunken boat with the help of sonar technology on Friday (Sept 16).
"The sunken fishing boat was discovered at a depth of 40m on the seabed," he said.
On Wednesday, a fishing boat with four local crew on board was reported to have sunk at about 5 pm after facing rough weather.
Two of the crew were rescued by other fishermen at the location while the remaining two believed to be asleep when the incident occurred, were reported missing. - Bernama
