Fire dept: No more bodies found in capsized boat

BACHOK: The Kelantan Fire and Rescue Department says no more bodies of victims were found trapped in the boat which capsized on Monday evening.

The incident had claimed five lives thus far.

Its operations management branch chief, Mohd Farid Ismail, said the department had carried out diving operations twice and did not find more bodies of victims trapped in the sunken boat.

“If there are further instructions, we are ready to do the third dive for confirmation. As of now, we have not received such instructions.

“We believe three more victims (who are still missing) may have been swept away,” he told reporters at the Kuala Kemasin Base Jetty here yesterday.

To date, the bodies of five victims have been found since the search and rescue operation was launched.

They were Mohd Syahrizan Daud, in his 40s, Muhamad Zaki Muhamad Nordin, 19, Wan Aminudin Wan Hussin, in his 60s, a Thai national known only as Pokta, in his 50s, and Ahmad Syafiq Che Alim, 30, while 12 others survived.

The three missing victims are Arman Ismail, 43, Harun Daud, in his 60s, and Che Wadi Bakar, in his 40s.

Meanwhile, Kelantan Fisheries Department director Nazri Ishak confirmed that the boat involved in the incident had Class A licence that was valid until next June.

“The boat also provides passenger services for the purpose of catching fish and squid jigging.

“The boat carried safety jackets as specified”, he said.

He said any fishing boat operator who wanted to bring passengers onboard had to get permission from the Marine Department.

He also advised all vessel owners to obey the instructions issued and to carry passengers according to the capacity.