LAHAD DATU: Six individuals including two boys were rescued after the fibre boat they were travelling in leaked off Pulau Timbun Mata, Kunak, here, on Sunday.
The victims were rescued by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA).
Lahad Datu Maritime Zone Director, Maritime Commander Dzulfikhar Ali said the Lahad Datu Maritime Zone Operation Centre received a call from the Maritime Rescue Sub-Centre (MRSC) Kota Kinabalu at 1.45pm.
They were informed that a boat that was scheduled to send the reverse osmosis (RO) water supply to the General Operation Force (GOF) post had leaked after hitting a floating log.
“Upon receiving information, the Banggi 45 boat which was patrolling in the nearby area rushed to the scene and discovered the victims off Pulau Batik waters with the help from a pump boat due to shallow water.
“All the victims were found safe and no injury was reported,” he said, in a statement on Monday.
According to Dzulfikhar, three victims, a 37-year-old man, Lajim Paisal and his two sons aged 10 and six were taken to Lahad Datu Fishery jetty.
Three other victims were waiting for the company’s boat to arrive on the island to repair the fibre boat.
All three of them arrived safely on land at 2am on Monday.
In the meantime, the MMEA reminds all boat operators to ensure that all crew and passengers wear life jackets while operating a boat.
This is not only a standard operating procedure, but also an important step to prevent loss of life in the event of an incident.
MMEA also called on the public to convey any information on criminal activities or incidents to MMEA operation centre via Whatsapp at 016-9305727 or 999.
