Fishermen glad to be alive
Group survived six hours afloat after their boat capsized
GEORGE TOWN: When strong waves began pounding their boat, fisherman Beh Poh Keat, 49, and his crew knew they were in trouble.
They immediately sent out a distress call before water filled the boat, causing it to capsize at about 11am on Friday.
Thankfully, crewmen in another trawler nearby who heard their cries braved the raging storm and picked them up.
The four of them, who survived six hours afloat in the open sea, thanked the “sea goddess” for being alive.
“The current was strong and the waves were like two storeys high.
“Water filled our boat. We could not even wear life jackets in time because everything happened too quickly.
“The boat capsized and the bottom of the vessel flipped over. We quickly climbed aboard and sat on the hull.
“All of us supported each other so we wouldn’t fall into the sea,” said Beh.
He said the four of them were hungry, thirsty and cold.
But they were lucky to have had a packet of biscuits to share between them.
“The minute we saw a big boat nearby, we shouted our lungs out to get their attention.
“My thought was that I did not want anything else as long as I could stay alive,” he said.
Beh revealed that this was the second time he had experienced being capsized at sea.
“The first one happened about 20 years ago, but it was near the beach and I just swam back to shore,” he said.
The four fishermen from Sungai Udang were rescued near Pulau Kendi around six hours after their boat capsized.