A supposed to be fun and memorable Lunar New Year holiday cruise in Malaysia took a deadly turn as the boat overturned, sending all passengers in the stormy seas. This dreadful incident happened in the coast of Borneo last Saturday.
The cruise set off on Kota Kinabalu late Saturday and is supposed to sail to Mengalum, a tourist spot in Malaysia. However, due to a heavy storm and big waves, it caused the boat to sink, leaving its 27 Chinese tourist passengers and three crew members stranded in the cold waters.
They were apparently left in the sea for 30 hours, until some Malaysian fishermen rescued them. According to Reuters, 3 passengers died from the incident, but four more Chinese tourists are still apparently missing along with one Malaysian.
Because of this, nautical search along Borneo's waters have been intensified, with local naval ships searching an area of 2,400 square nautical miles. The Chinese government has been alerted about the incident and has sent assistance to help search for the missing tourists. They have also requested that all efforts must be quickly exhausted and a thorough and objective investigation must be commenced. Brunei has also sent some naval support to help the search.
The head of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, director-general Ahmad Puzi Ab Kahar said in a statement last Sunday: "According to the skipper, the boat was 'broken' after being hit by strong waves, and sank. All the tourists were tied together and were carried away by the currents."
The Malaysian government is now treating the case as a priority and ordered a thorough inquiry into the incident. "At the moment we must concentrate fully on the search and rescue efforts, "Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said.
A rescued Chinese tourist named Fan Li Xia has shared that horrible experience in the hospital when she and the other passengers were immediately taken to after their rescue. "If we were found any later, I don't think I would have survived," she said. "My friend died. We dragged his body around for half a day, but we couldn't manage anymore so we had to let it go."
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
