We clung on to dead body: Survivor
Published on: Wednesday, February 01, 2017
Kota Kinabalu: One of the China tourists who survived the ordeal told journalists that the catamaran crew told them to jump into the sea after it started to leak. "At first the crew told us to grab anything to put the water out of the boat, but it was leaking too fast and we were told to jump into the water," she said. She said the water was cold and that fishes started "nibbling" on their body, adding that the salt water made it even more painful.
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She also said they saw several fishing boats but their shouts for help were not heard due to the distance. The survivor said they also tried to use their handphones to call for help but their phones were not working. Another tourist Fan Li Xia said they held on to the body of a dead friend for as long as they could as they trod water after the catamaran capsized in the cold waters of the South China Sea.Fan Li Xia said the group, tied together on the catamaran in life jackets, were swept away by the current and struggled in the cold water for more than 30 hours.
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"If we were found any later, I don't think I would have survived," she told reporters at the hospital. "My friend died. We dragged his body around for half a day, but we couldn't manage any more so we had to let it go."
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The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency said the tourists were rescued by fishermen and tugboats. Military ships and aircraft were scouring the choppy waters for the missing five.Fellow survivor Yang Yaoru said their collective will helped them endure the cold. They were sharing the little food they had and urging each other to stay alive.Yang, who was on holiday with her mother, said the survivors huddled together to try to shake off the cold and did not loosen their grip.Yang said she was especially concerned about her mother, who was not a good swimmer."If I had died, my mother couldn't have survived by herself…I must bring my mother home," the 24-year-old Yang told Chinese broadcaster CCTV from her hospital bed.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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