LANGKAWI – A search and rescue (SAR) maritime task force has been launched to locate the 18 crew members and passengers onboard fishing vessel Empayar Langkawi after the vessel was believed to have gone down in the seas off the island resort here.
The task force – with assets from the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA), marine police, the Marine Services Department, and the fishing community – have been deployed amidst rough weather.
A task force spokesman has confirmed that the SAR operation will continue despite such weather conditions.
KM Tenggol, the task force’s lead ship, has arrived at the last location where the distress signal was placed by the vessel’s captain – near Pulau Beras Basah, about six nautical miles from the main populated island of Langkawi.
Marine police received a distress call around 2pm today that the vessel, which is usually chartered by anglers, was being quickly inundated by water and they required assistance.
This fishing expedition is believed to be chartered by anglers from Selangor and Kuala Lumpur.
KM Tenggol would be joined later by other patrol crafts and vessels to comb the area, while aerial surveillance was also radioed in.
Meanwhile, the spokesman also dismissed speculation on social media that the victims have been found adrift with their life jackets.
“We are unable to verify the accuracy. As far as we know, the operation to locate them continues. Many assets have been deployed,” he said.
He is hoping that the victims can be found soon. – The Vibes, February 26, 2022
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