Preliminary investigations suggest the vessel lost control before overturning.
KLANG - A leisure boat trip ended in tragedy on June 6, after a boat carrying six individuals capsized in the waters off Tanjung Harapan, Port Klang, leaving five people dead, including a young child.
Only one survivor was rescued.
The incident occurred around 5pm when the boat, which was being test-driven by its owner, overturned.
North Klang District Police Chief ACP S Vijaya Rao said none of the passengers were believed to have been wearing life jackets, which made the search and rescue efforts even more challenging.
"Those who engage in activities at sea must wear life jackets, which are very useful during emergencies like this capsized boat incident, in addition to having swimming skills," he told reporters on June 7.
Survivor Alvin Chang Yan Qin, 17, recounted the terrifying moment the boat overturned during a U-turn about 30 minutes after departing from the Royal Selangor Yacht Club (RSYC).
"The incident happened very quickly when the relatively fast-moving boat suddenly overturned and in less than 10 seconds, water had entered all compartments of the boat," he said.
Chang managed to swim out and cling to the overturned boat, screaming for help.
After about five minutes, another boat approached and rescued him.
Rescue teams from the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA), Marine Police and Fire and Rescue Department were activated at 5.16pm and began search operations in the area.
By Saturday evening, the bodies of three individuals were recovered: three-year-old Darren Gan, the son of the missing couple; Cheu Son Hin, 50 and Fong Yong Sen, 29. The bodies were found in the front compartment of the capsized boat.
Two individuals remained missing: Gan Hon Tat, 32 and his wife Careen Man, 29, both from Klang Utama.
On June 8, efforts continued with divers working to partially refloat the boat to inspect its interior.
The search for the missing couple ended on the morning of June 8, when MMEA confirmed that their bodies were found around 7.45am, about 0.1 nautical mile from the National Hydrographic Centre near North Port, Port Klang.
"The MMEA's vessel KD Danga found the floating bodies before the Fire and Rescue Department personnel arrived to help take their remains ashore," said Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) Enforcement and Excise Unit operations officer of Selangor Maritime Lieutenant Mohd Syafiq Sazali.
The bodies were taken to Shah Alam Hospital for autopsy and formal identification.
At the hospital, a heartbreaking scene unfolded when Gan’s mother, Chan Pei Pei, 60, broke down in tears after seeing her son’s body.
She was seen wailing in grief as she was escorted out of the autopsy room.
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