Boat capsize: Three bodies found off Redang Island

KUALA TERENGGANU - The bodies of three victims from a fishing boat with six onboard that sank in the waters of Pulau Redang on Monday (Aug 8) were found in a search and rescue (SAR) operation today.

Terengganu Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) director, Maritime Captain Muhammad Suffi Mohd Ramli said the three bodies were spotted floating between 11 am and 1.30 pm today by local fishermen who participated in the search and rescue operation.

"The bodies of the three victims were found in different locations around 1.7 to 1.9 nautical miles from Redang Island," he said here this afternoon.

He said the three victims who left Kelantan from Pasir Puteh jetty in a fishing boat with registration number TFA 124 were identified as Saludin Ismail, 50; Mohd Nazri Abu Bakar, 48; and Zulkifli Umar, 48.

According to him, the lone survivor found earlier is Muhammad Kamaruddin Yudi, 31, while two others still missing are Ahmad Zamri Ishak, 66, and Raja Zainudin Raja Ibrahim, 49.

Capt Suffi said the search sector for the operation which entered its second day was expanded to 242 nautical miles and some assets deployed in the operation early this morning included Redang Maritime vessel and a Bombardier CL415 aircraft, along with a Perkasa1234 boat.

He said the SAR operation, which was also assisted by more than 10 local fishing boats, was suspended at 7 pm today and will resume tomorrow at 7am.

He said the victims' bodies were taken to the Sultanah Nur Zahirah Hospital here for verification and post-mortem before being handed over to their families.

In the incident at 10pm on Monday, approximately 10 nautical miles from Redang Island, the fishing boat with six fishermen aboard sank in a storm off the coast of Terengganu. - BERNAMA