adminCHUKAI: Two fishermen faced a terrifying moment when they drifted for almost 11 hours due to a boat engine failure before being rescued by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) in the waters off Kemaman near here this morning.
Kemaman Maritime Zone Director Maritime Commander Abdul Halim Hamzah said Abdul Hafiz Imran Abd Latif, 39, from Dungun and Ahmad Arif Tajudin Rosli, 29, from Paka went to sea to fish before their boat suffered engine fan failure at 4pm yesterday.
“The situation caused the boat to be unable to move and drifted away with the current. The victims only received telephone coverage at 9pm and contacted family members to inform them of their situation,” he said in a statement today.
Abdul Halim said his party was informed of the incident at 12.30 midnight and moved MMEA assets to the location at 1.18 am before successfully finding the victim in a safe condition at 3 am.
He said the search operation took some time as the position of the victim’s boat had changed from the reported location due to sea currents.
“The MMEA advises the fishing and angler community to always ensure that their boats are in good condition, carry sufficient safety equipment and inform family members of their movements to avoid any unwanted incidents,” he said.
— BERNAMA
