BACHOK, July 5 — The eighth and final victim who drowned in the capsized boat incident on Monday, was found near Pulau Perhentian this afternoon.

Kelantan Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) director Capt Muhd Nur Syam Asmawie Yaacob said the body of Arman Ismail, 43, was found floating at sea by fishermen in the area at 2.20pm.

"The fisherman then contacted the MMEA boat nearby, which was also actively looking for the victim,” he told reporters when met at the SAR operations centre in Kuala Kemasin here today.

Muhd Nur Syam, who is also the commander of the search and rescue (SAR) mission said Arman’s body was discovered about three nautical miles from where the remains of his friend, Che Wadi Bakar, 44, was found earlier today.

He said the identity of the body was confirmed by family members as well as from a wallet containing the victim’s identity card.

He said the body was later sent to the Raja Perempuan Zainab II Hospital (HRPZII) in Kota Bharu for postmortem.

Muhd Nur Syam added that the SAR operation had officially ended following the discovery of the last victim.

"Today, 81 personnel from the police, the Kelantan Fire and Rescue Department, Malaysian Civil Defence Force, the Bachok Fishermen’s Association and Kelantan MMEA participated in the SAR operation using eight assets.

"The success in finding all the missing victims with the cooperation of local fishermen will become a model for rescue work in the future,” he said. — Bernama