ALOR SETAR, March 18 —A skipper and two crew members are feared drowned after their trawler was believed to have sunk in the waters off Pulau Payar, near Langkawi.
Maritime District 1 Operations deputy director Nurulazme Zakariah said the boat owner reported to the agency at 8.20am on March 15 after the trawler failed to return to the Kuala Kedah base on March 12 as scheduled.
He said the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency deployed the KM Siangin and a rescue team to conduct a search around Pulau Payar as the boat owner reported that the trawler would normally fish around the island.
“Following the search we found oil spills about two nautical miles from Pulau Payar and we are now trying to track down the boat and the three men,” he said in a statement today.
He said the skipper was identified as Harif Fadelah Zainol, 58, from Perumahan Awam Baru, Kuala Kedah, one of the crew was Abd Ghani Jusoh, 56, from Kampung Telok Malek, Jitra while the identity of the other member is still not known. — Bernama
