Clock’s ticking in race to rescue trapped crewmen

MUAR: Time is fast running out for rescuers to locate the remaining nine crewmen feared trapped in a sand dredger that capsized off the coast here.

Earlier, Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency southern region deputy director Capt Sanifah Yusof confirmed two more bodies were recovered early yesterday.

“The body of a woman was found in a cabin while a man was found floating about six nautical miles near Parit Haji Bakar,” he said.

Sanifah said the bodies were sent to the Sultanah Fatimah Specialist Hospital for a post-mortem.

It is learnt that about 70 divers, which include a team of seven divers from China’s SOS Maritime Centre in Guangdong, joined in the search for the missing crew.

On Friday, divers managed to rescue Liu Kongsan, 47, and Liang Pu Zeng, 62, from the vessel’s submerged engine room.

The two, who were barely alive and dehydrated when found, had survived despite spending some 50 hours in the engine room, which had a pocket of trapped air.

On Wednesday, the Chinese vessel JBB Rong Chang 8 capsized 12 nautical miles west of Tanjung Tohor.

One crewman died while three others were rescued. The boat has 18 crew members – one Malaysian and the rest foreigners.

So far, five crew members have been found alive, four have died while nine others are still missing.

Those rescued were Liu, Liang, Wu Liangfu, 48, Liang Rongbin, 44, and Jiang Chunlin, 51.

The authorities have also identified the remains of Liang Caiman, 50, and Chen Xuefen, 54. Two others have yet to be identified.