[UPDATED] Sand dredging ship capsizes in Sarawak river, two missing

MIRI – A ship carrying out sand dredging operations has capsized in the Sg Igan river in central Sarawak.

Two crew members have been rescued, while two others are still missing in the incident that happened early this morning.

The Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department (FRD) said the site along the river is located between Sibu town and Mukah town.

FRD officials in Sg Merah received an alert from a crew member at about 6am, the department said.

Search and rescue teams are now conducting the operation to locate and save the missing persons.

Bernama quoted a Sarawak FRD Operations Centre spokesman as saying that the identities of the two missing victims have yet to be ascertained but they are estimated to be in their 20s, while the survivors are in their 40s and 50s.

According to him, the Sarawak operations centre received a report from Sg Merah police station at 6.05am today stating that it received a call about the incident from the public and a team from the Mukah Fire and Rescue Station had been mobilised to the location.

“During the incident, members of the public managed to rescue two crew members and it was believed that the other two were still inside the sand cargo ship,” he said.

Meanwhile, Sibu district police chief Zulkipli Suhaili when contacted by Bernama confirmed that he had received a report regarding the incident and that the investigation team is currently at the scene. – The Vibes June 26, 2022