15 missing after boat loses contact off Sarawak's Tanjung Po coast

KUCHING: Fifteen people on a recreational fishing trip are feared missing off the coast of Tanjung Po in Bako,
Sarawak, after their boat lost contact on Friday night.

The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) has launched a search and rescue mission to locate the
fishing boat called Sea Wonder.

According to the agency, boat owner Alice Lim made an emergency call at 8.15pm after failing to contact the boat
or detect its location.

She believed the boat could have suffered engine failure.

She last contacted the crew at 4pm, where the boat was 82 nautical miles north east of Tanjong Po.

Lim told MMEA that the boat left the Kampung Goebilt jetty at 1pm with three crew members and 12 anglers.

The identity of the 12 anglers could not be confirmed, as the owner does not have the passengers manifest.

The agency immediately activated a search and rescue operations and one of our vessels was deployed to the last
known location of the boat, Kuching MMEA Maritime District director Capt Shahref Steve Mac Queen Abdullah
said in a statement on Saturday.

Those who know of any family members, relatives and friends who might have boarded the boat are urged to
contact Sarawak MMEA operations centre at 082-432544 to help them identify the 12 anglers involved in the trip.