MMEA Sarawak: Integrated SAR ops in search for two missing persons
KUCHING: The Maritime Rescue Sub-Centre ( MRSC) coordinated two search-and-rescue (SAR) operations in Sarawak yesterday.
Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency ( MMEA) Sarawak director First-Admiral Zin Azman Md Yunus said yesterday’s operations involved some 80 personnel from several agencies as well as a number of civilians.
One operation was meant to locate a Telekom Malaysia Bhd employee, Samsudin Beden, 59, who was reported missing on Sunday.
Entering its second day yesterday, the search covered 167.87 nautical square miles, including land searches along the Santubong riverbanks to the estuary heading to Pantai Damai.
“The PDRM (Royal Malaysia Police) had deployed its air operations asset, the Cessna Caravan, to facilitate the SAR mission yesterday (Monday) and today (yesterday) via air surveillance,” said Zin Azman in a statement yesterday.
A spokesman of Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) Sarawak operations centre said the SAR team for yesterday’s mission was divided into two sectors – by land and by sea.
It is informed that the Bomba had conducted the search using two drones courtesy of the Sarawak Drone Community.
“Our firefighters did recover a life jacket, believed to be owned by the victim (Samsudin) at 2pm (yesterday),” said the Bomba spokesman, adding that the operation ended at 6.43pm.
On Monday, the SAR team found a boat belonging to Samsudin at a mangrove swamp area near Damai Golf Club in Pantai Damai, at 1.20pm. Also found were the victim’s belongings, a life jacket, a fish barrel, and boat engine.
Samsudin, from Kampung Semuning Jaya in Lundu, was reported missing last Sunday after he failed to return home after having gone out to sea earlier that day.
MMEA senior assistant director (enforcement and excise) Commander Gilber Tinggak Numpang said MRSC Kuching received information at 6.55pm on Sunday about an individual who had not returned from sea after having left his daughter’s house at Sentoria Park at 5.50am.
He said the MRSC immediately activated the SAR operation at 7.30pm that same day.
Meanwhile, the other SAR operation was conducted over Kuala Serupai in Bintulu – entering its fifth day yesterday.
The mission was to find Mohd Ainul Hadian, 23, who was reported missing last Friday.
In a statement, Zin Azman said the operation covered 95.7 nautical square miles along the coastal areas between Kuala Sungai Serupai, Sungai Buluh, Sungai Setuan Kecil and Sungai Kemena.
“We were hoping to find new clues during these two operations, which could help us find both victims,” he added.
It was reported that on Thursday morning, Mohd Ainul and his two friends had gone out for a fishing trip to Kuala Serupai at 10.30am, where they took three separate boats.
When Mohd Ainul had yet to return to the jetty at around 4pm, his family members and villagers went looking for him – they later found his boat stranded on the beach.
It is feared that Mohd Ainul could have been knocked overboard when strong waves hit his boat.