SRI AMAN The search and rescue (SAR) operation for missing person Kong Gindi of Rumah Panjang Tuntun was called off yesterday after a week of unavailing search.
The victim had been missing since July 24, prompting the SAR operation to be mounted on the Seduku River, Batang Lupar.
The Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba), said in a statement, that it decided to call the search off at 4pm yesterday after failing to find any lead on the possible whereabouts of Kong.
The search team came to a consensus with the 47-year-old victim’s family. The family agreed but indicated that they would continue the search themselves while taking precautionary measures as there were a lot of crocodiles in the area.
They would seek help from the authorities if they found anything.
The week-long search was divided into four sectors.
The first sector search covered a 10km radius from the banks of Barang Lipat to Kampung Baking while the second sector search covered a 10km radius from Batang Lupar to the mouth of Lingga River.
The third sector search covered a 9km radius downstream towards Sekupang Lingga River while the fourth sector search covered the riverbanks near the area where the victim was attacked.
Other agencies involved in the operation were the police, Civil Defence Force and villagers.
On Friday (July 24) Kong, who was accompanied by a friend, was washing his fishing boat when he was attacked by a crocodile and dragged into the water as the tide was rising.
Kong’s friend, who was just five feet away from him at the time of the incident, rushed to seek help from villagers.
The villagers, who hurried to the scene in their boats, found the crocodile with the victim’s body at a riverbank one kilometre downstream from the attack site.
When the villagers tried to approach the crocodile in a bid to recover Kong’s bod, the reptile dragged his body back into the water and disappeared.
