Four anglers found adrift off Sekinchan, search goes on for three

KLANG: Four of the seven anglers reported missing off One Fathom Bank were found adrift and in a weakened state in the waters off Sekinchan, about 25 nautical miles from the coast at Sungai Besar, yesterday.

A local fishing boat picked them up at 9.50am, floating close to one another. Two were taken to Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital in Klang and two to Banting Hospital for medical checks.

The survivors are boat skipper Zulfikalnain Awang, 47, along with Mohd Shairazi Abdul Aziz, 43, Mohd Rizal Mohamad Sadali, 45, and Muhd Hamiszar Punirain, 45.

Still missing are Muhamad Ridzuan Ruhaizat, 37, Mohd Shahril Abd Rahman, 43, and Raja Mohd Rozi Raja Mohamad, 49.

Selangor maritime director Maritime Captain Abdul Muhaimin Muhammad Salleh said the search and rescue operation for the three was continuing.

The search covers 203.5 square nautical miles at sea and 764 square nautical miles from the air, drawing on sea and air assets from the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, the police, the Fire and Rescue Department, the Civil Defence Force and two local fishing boats.

The group left the Sementa jetty in Kapar at 8.20am on Sunday to fish for hardtail scad off One Fathom Bank, about 40km from the coast at Sungai Besar, and was due back at the marine police jetty in Port Klang by 8.30pm the same day.

The report of their disappearance came in at 3.35am on Monday. Maritime assets were deployed five minutes later, and the search and rescue operation was formally activated at 5am.

Their boat is believed to have capsized after being struck by four-metre waves in waters near Pulau Ketam. Maritime Malaysia is investigating the cause.

North Klang deputy police chief Superintendent Mohd Rahimi Zainol confirmed that the three had not been traced as of 5.30pm yesterday.

Sementa assemblyman Noor Najhan Mohamad Salleh said the authorities were also in touch with their Indonesian counterparts to check whether any fishermen or anglers had been found in waters there.

Haze has been cutting visibility in the search area and making the operation more difficult.