KUCHING: The Search and Rescue (SAR) operation to locate the final missing victim of a fishing boat that sank in the waters off Pulau Burong officially ended after five days of intensive efforts.
Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) Sarawak director, First Admiral Kamal Ariffin Jusoh said the operation concluded on Dec 27 at 6 pm after no new findings were discovered.
However, he assured that the operation to locate the missing victim identified as Chaloem Sonada, 64, a Thai national, will resume should there be any new findings or leads.
“The search area today (Dec 27) covered 439.97 nautical square miles, bringing the total search radius from the first to the fifth day to 1,671.92 nautical square miles, spanning waters from Tanjung Sipang to Triso,” he said in a statement.
Meanwhile, a total of 10 agencies participated in the SAR operation, comprising the MMEA, Marine Police Force (PPM), Sarawak Coast Guard (SCG), Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba), Civil Defence Force (APM), Sarawak Rivers Board (SRB), and the PDRM’s Air Operation Force (PGU), as well as with indirect assistance from the Malaysian Marine Department Sarawak (JLM), Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM), and Sarawak Fisheries Department (JPLS).
For any information, complaints, or emergencies at sea, the public is encouraged to contact the Sarawak State Maritime Operations Centre at 082-432544 or 082-432016, or via the emergency hotline 999 for immediate response.
Earlier, in a previous report, Kamal Ariffin said the boat left for the sea with six crew members on board last Dec 17 before losing contact.
He said the ‘Ops Carilamat’ started on Dec 22 after the MMEA received a report on the missing vessel at 6.43 pm on the same day.
Five of the six crew members that were rescued earlier are Ouen Van, Khlok Sem, Thy Ny of Cambodia, Andikah and Irman of Indonesia. All were reported safe.
