KUALA LUMPUR – A buzz erupted among beachgoers at a section of the Desaru coast in Johor on Friday evening when what seemed to be a part of an aeroplane was found washed ashore from the South China Sea.
The material was dotted with barnacles, indicating that it had been at sea for quite a long time.
What particularly added to the excitement and curiosity was that it had red and blue colourings on it.
However, preliminary findings indicate it could be part of a light aircraft which may have gone down in the South China Sea many years ago, or even from a marine vessel.
Alerted by The Vibes, Transport Minister Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong immediately put his officers on the find.
“I will issue a statement after being briefed so we know the proper context,” he said.
When contacted, the resort near where the part was found confirmed its staff has recovered the object, which was taken to an undisclosed location, and that police had been alerted.
Last night, an official from the Bandar Penawar police station, when contacted, confirmed the discovery of the debris, saying that a probe has been launched and that the forensics department is working on the case.
The officer, who declined to be named, said preliminary details on the discovery have been sent to the Kota Tinggi district police headquarters.
However, he declined to elaborate further.
“We are aware of the find but I cannot reveal any development at the moment,” he told The Vibes.
He added that a report has been given to Kota Tinggi district police chief Hussin Zamora for further action.
An aviation expert, meanwhile, said the object found at Desaru appears to be a fuselage from a small propeller plane, and is not one from a large commercial aircraft. It is also too small to be from a wide-bodied plane.
He pointed out that it could also be from a boat, as the honeycomb structures seen on it can be found in boats.
It also cannot be from a Malaysia Airlines plane as its registration marking is in blue while all planes under the national carrier are marked in black.
The formation of the barnacles indicate that it could have been at sea for the last ten to 15 years, the expert added.
Incidentally, on June 18, 2000, a Cessna 172 belonging to a flying school which carried four individuals had crashed in the sea some 100m from Mersing.
Two individuals died in the incident, while the other two managed to survive after they escaped using parachutes. – The Vibes, January 31, 2022
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