Capsized catamaran tragedy: 'We are hoping for a miracle' - KK MMEA director

Search-and-rescue (SAR) agencies are hoping for a miracle for the remaining six victims of a capsized catamaran incident in the waters off Pulau Mengalum, Saturday morning, to be found alive.

Kota Kinabalu Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) director, First Admiral Adam Aziz said normally, victims who fell into the sea were difficult to be found alive after being out there for six days.

"Based on the law of nature, if they have entered the sixth day, it's quite difficult (for them to be alive). We are hoping for a miracle. If there's a miracle, we don't know, that's God's will," he told reporters, here, today.

Adam was speaking to reporters after briefing the Chinese ambassador to Malaysia, Huang Huikang, on the SAR mission at the MMEA operations centre in Likas, near here, today.

According to Adam, victims would not usually be able to survive for more than six days with the life jacket, coupled with the heat factor and dehydration suffered by them.

However, Adam said the SAR agencies would not throw in the towel just yet, as from last year's experience in Kudat, the MMEA found victims at sea alive even after 10 days adrift.

Adam also explained that normally, if the victims had drowned, their bodies would be floating on the water after the fifth day.

On the SAR operation today, Adam said it involved 22 naval and air assets from the MMEA, Royal Malaysian Navy, Royal Malaysian Air Force, police and Brunei Darussalam.

He said today's search covered approximately 3,900 square nautical miles, including the waters off Miri, Sarawak.

Adam said the MMEA had also informed vessels passing through the country's waters about the capsized catamaran and missing victims, so that they could alert the authorities if anything was found in their paths.

The MMEA has also informed the Kota Kinabalu Fishermen's Association which handles about 180 fishing boats to take part in the search efforts.

On the discovery of the body of a man known as Nonoi, 39, at Pulau Mamutik by Sabah Parks officers this morning, Adam said the hospital staff confirmed that he was not one of the passengers on board the ill-fated catamaran, but a fisherman reported missing on Jan 30 at Pulau Denawan.

In the 10am tragedy on Saturday, a tourist boat carrying 28 Chinese nationals and three crew members was believed to have capsized due to strong winds and huge waves while travelling to Pulau Mengalum, 56 kilometres northwest of Kota Kinabalu.

So far, 25 victims have been found, including three dead. - BERNAMA