Missing anglers safe after all
Published on: Sunday, April 16, 2017
Kota Kinabalu: The three anglers who went missing while on a fishing trip were found safe off Pulau Tiga on Friday. The three Bajau men identified as Mohd Wapie Said, 34, Amsiran Mijan, 55, and Malik Awang, 40, had earlier gone fishing off Pulau Sepanggar, Pulau Gaya and Pulau Mengalum at about 7am on Thursday. Their failure to return prompted their family members to lodge a police report.
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The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) in a statement on Saturday said the Kota Kinabalu Maritime Rescue Sub Centre contacted the family members about their discovery at about 1.07am on Friday. Based on the report lodged by one of the victims, Mohd Wapie Said, at the Karamunsing police station at 2.05am on Friday, they were found by a tourist boat close to waters off Pulau Tiga at about 10pm on Friday. The three then returned to his uncle's house in Pulau Gaya to rest before heading back to Kota Kinabalu at about 11.59pm the same day. MMEA Sabah and Labuan Regional Director First Admiral Mohd Zubil Mat Som said family members had notified them of the three who were rowing off Pulau Tiga at about 2.38pm on Friday.
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The three were overcome with fatigue and hungry. He said the victims said they were in the direction where the sun set about 20 nautical miles off Pulau Tiga and could see a big ship and an aircraft flying low but the aircraft did not see their boat.
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That was the last they heard of the three who could not be reached from 4.45pm. It was learnt that their boat went adrift when the engine stalled.Zubil said the information prompted him to order Bot Pengawal 20 and RH52 to waters off Pulau Tiga in search of the three at 2.40pm.The Air Force also deployed its aircraft to scour the waters between Pulau Mengalum and Pulau Tiga at about 4.22pm. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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