Sea gypsy killed by own fish bomb

KOTA KINABALU: A teenager was killed when the fish bomb he was using went off suddenly, blowing off his hands and feet.

The 16-year-old sea gypsy had lit up the home-made explosive near Pulau Gaya and was about to throw it into the sea when it exploded.

City police chief Asst Comm Habibi Majinji said marine police stumbled upon a five-yearold boy weeping on the beach at about 10am on Friday.

“The boy told the marine police that his friend, who was fishing on a sampan, was hit by a fish bomb,” he said in a statement here yesterday.

The boy, he said, led the personnel to the body of the victim, which was floating at sea.

“Our men retrieved the body to find it with multiple severe injuries, including the hands and legs blown off,” said ACP Habibi, adding that the sampan was also damaged.

He said the boy later told them that the bomb had gone off before it hit the sea, killing the teenager.

The victim’s body has been taken to hospital for post-mortem.

“No foul play is involved in this case,” said ACP Habibi.

Fish bombing – a method to stun or kill fish – is illegal but despite numerous efforts by security forces to stop it, such activities are still rampant in Sabah’s waters.

However, reports of death from fish bombing are rare.