ALOR STAR – The ferry carrying over 500 passengers and crew members that was stranded around 3pm yesterday while on its way to Langkawi from Kuala Kedah has been safely towed back to the Kuala Kedah Ferry Jetty tonight.
Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) Kuala Kedah Maritime Zone director Noor Azreyanti Ishak said the ferry was towed back to safety by a tow boat owned by a cargo company in Kuala Kedah at about 9.25pm. She added that all passengers and crew on board were safe.
Three passengers were sent to Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital for further observation as one had a nervous disorder while two suffered breathing difficulties.
“A total of 272 passengers were brought off in stages by the MMEA Perkasa 1224 boat and a police PSC 19 patrol boat with assistance from several local fishing boats around Kuala Kedah and Yan. The rest of the passengers onboard were towed in,” she said in a statement tonight.
Kuala Kedah Maritimehad received a report from the Marine Department about the Express Bahagia 98 vessel carrying 547 people being stranded at 1.2 nautical miles off the Kuala Kedah estuary at about 4.15 pm. – Bernama, October 24, 2022
