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KOTA KINABALU – Eleven Malaysians were stranded for three days near Sibutu, Philippines, as they sat on an overturned boat and waited for help to come.
Six women, two men, and three children were on a boat heading from Tawau to Semporna on March 29 when their vessel was overturned by strong waves and rough weather.
The Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) in Sandakan said in a statement that the victims on their overturned boat had slowly drifted into international waters near Sibutu, Philippines.
Fortunately, they were spotted by the crew of a cargo vessel, Tomini Dynasty, that was passing by and were rescued on March 31.
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“Naval Base 2’s (Mawilla 2) operation centre received information from Kota Kinabalu Maritime Rescue Sub-Centre about Tomini Dynasty that had rescued 11 Malaysians at Sibutu, Philippines.
“We (Sandakan Malaysian Royal Navy) then arranged the retrieval of the victims at about 8 nautical miles off south of Tg Labian,” RMN Sandakan’s statement read.
One of the victims, Siti Naun Osman, 25, was quoted in the statement recounting how the boat had overturned in bad weather.
She said the victims quickly climbed onto the overturned boat and sat waiting, hoping desperately to be rescued.
They are all safe and were given outpatient treatment upon arriving on land. – The Vibes, April 1, 2023
