KOTA KINABALU, Sept 3 — A man is feared drowned after the boat he and his father were in capsized off Pantai Batu Gadung in Kota Belud this morning. 

In the incident at about 6am, the fishing boat used by Mohd Shahril Bashir, 28, and his father Bashir Datu Ayob, 58, sank after it was hit by large waves about 100 metres from the shore.

Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) deputy director for operations in Sabah, Maritime Captain Asmawati Mohd Tujeri, said the department was notified of the incident at 8.05am, with the agency’s search and rescue operation launched at about 8.30am.

In a statement, Asmawati said the operation, which involved the Fire and Rescue Department, Civil Defence Force and the Kota Belud Fisheries Department, had come across some leads, with the MMEA also receiving information that the clothes believed to have been worn by Mohd Shahril had been found by villagers at the location of the boat capsize. 

The operation was called off at 6.30pm and will resume tomorrow. — Bernama