BATU PAHAT, Jan 2 — Five Indonesians were plucked to safety after the wooden boat they were in sank in coastal waters near here early today.
They were on their way to Batam in Indonesia when the mishap happened.
Johor Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) director First Admiral Nurul Hizam Zakaria said the five men were found in a safety raft at 11.4 nautical miles southwest of Tanjung Segenting, near here, at about 12.35pm today.
He said the agency received a distress call about the victims from a cargo ship that was passing through the Straits of Melaka.
“Upon arrival at the location, we discovered that all the victims had been rescued by a local fishing boat that was near the scene. The victims were aged between 24 and 44. and were found safe,” he said in a statement here.
According to Nurul Hizam, the five victims were scrap metal dealers and were on their way to bring the scrap metal from Pulau Nipah to Batam, before their boat sprang a leak and sank.
A safety raft was given to them by a merchant ship as emergency first aid when passing through the area, he added.
The five were taken to the Batu Pahat Maritime Zone Office for further investigations before being handed over to the Indonesian Embassy. — Bernama
