MERSING, March 23 — The body of a 32-year-old fisherman who went missing after going overboard near the Pemanggil Islands on March 8 has been found on Pengudung Beach on Bintan Island, Indonesia.
Muhamad Sufian Alwi’s body was found by Indonesian authorities on March 15, seven days after he was reported missing at sea and 160km from where he fell overboard.
Johor Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) director Maritime First Admiral Nurul Hizam Zakaria said the body was confirmed to be that of the missing fisherman based on physical identification.
“The Johor Baru Maritime Rescue Sub Centre (MRSC) received information from the Republic of Indonesia Police about the discovery based on the victim’s clothes.
"Following the information, the Johor Baru MRSC had assisted in bringing the victim's family members to Bintan Island for the identification and confirmation process at the Raja Ahmad Tabib district general hospital in the Kepri-Tanjung Pinang province in Indonesia,” said Nurul Hizam in a statement today.
Nurul Hizam added that the victim's elder sister had also confirmed that the recovered body is that of her younger brother.
“Muhamad Sufian, who was earlier reported lost at sea, was pulling up a fishing net in the waters off Pemanggil Island on March 8 before he fell off the boat.
“The victim's body was believed to have drifted as far as 86.3 nautical miles (160km) from the last location that the victim was reported missing from,” he said, adding that the Malaysian authorities had ended the search and rescue (SAR) operation for the missing fisherman.
Nurul Hizam said the Johor Baru MRSC offered their condolences to the victim’s family and expressed their appreciation to the Indonesian authorities for their cooperation.
The Indonesian authorities who assisted in the search and rescue (SAR) operation were represented by the republic’s National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), the Bintan police and the Republic of Indonesia Consulate General (KJRI) in Johor Baru.
The Bintan Island is part of Indonesia's Riau Archipelago, a short boat ride from the city of Singapore. It is a popular holiday and recreational activity destination for many Singaporeans due to a preferential exchange rate.
Johor’s southernmost capital Johor Baru is about 235km away from Bintan Island.
Previously, it was reported that a fisherman from Mersing was missing at sea after he fell off his boat at 3.3 nautical miles northwest of Pulau Pemanggil at approximately 4.10pm on March 8.
During the incident, the victim, along with four other crew members on the boat, were believed to have lost their balance and fell into the sea after attempting to recover their fishing net.
The four other fishermen later realised that one of their crew members was missing.
