KUCHING: The second day of the search and rescue (SAR) operation for the five missing victims from the regatta boat accident on the Sarawak River has ended without any findings or new clues.
Kuching OCPD Asst Comm Mohd Farhan Lee Abdullah (pic) reported that the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department conducted 10 dives after detecting an object on the riverbed, but all attempts were unsuccessful due to zero visibility.
“We also conducted boat patrols using 21 assets along a 10km stretch from the Sarawak River barrage to the incident site and deployed two drones, but nothing has surfaced so far.
“Assistance came from non-governmental organisations such as the Sarawak Jetski Sports Association, the Volunteer Fire Brigade, the Sarawak Fishing Club, and local villagers,” he stated at the SAR centre at Royal Bay Commercial Centre on Saturday (Oct 19).
Mohd Farhan Lee informed the victims’ families about the latest developments, noting that the SAR operation was suspended at 6pm.
Looking ahead to the third day of operations, a dog from the K9 Unit and a helicopter from the JBPM Air Operations Team (PGU) are planned to be deployed starting at 6am to locate the missing individuals.
“We will also station monitoring personnel at the Sarawak River barrage and use an additional PGU helicopter to extend our reach to Bako, aiming for a more comprehensive search area,” he added.
The tragedy unfolded at around 3.50pm on Friday (Oct 18) when five regatta rowers went missing in the Sarawak River near Royal Bay Commercial Centre on Jalan Buruh Bintawa.
Their boat capsized due to choppy waves from an approaching fishing vessel.
Of the 16 regatta participants, who were also Sarawak Security and Enforcement Unit (UKPS) personnel, 11 managed to save themselves.
The four other missing victims are Mohamad Ikhmal Sama’ail, 34, Majurie Maharuf, 32, Mohd Afiq Isyamudin Asaari, 26, and Mohamad Khairul Bidin, 26.
The rowers were training for the upcoming Sarawak-Kuching 2024 Waterfront Regatta Festival, scheduled from Nov 1 to 3. – Bernama
