TANJUNG MANIS: The search for the missing skipper of the ship Laning Drat that sank in Teluk Gelam last Thursday (Feb 10), has been called off.
Rosman Bakar, 52, was among three persons aboard who fell into Batang Serdeng after the Laning Drat, carrying a cargo of excavators, capsized around 12am on that fateful day.
A spokesperson from the Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) said the search had to be terminated after rescuers, who had been looking for the past seven days, failed to find any leads to Rosman’s whereabouts.
“Following discussions with the rescue agencies and the victim’s family, the operation was terminated at 3pm.”
The search on Wednesday (Feb 16) was carried out within a 7km radius from where the ship capsized. Meanwhile, a team made two dives at the location of the doomed ship and found no signs of the victim.
Forty-five rescuers comprising firefighters, police, marine police, Sarawak Rivers Board and villagers, were involved in the operation with 15 boats.
On the day of the incident, one of the crew was rescued around 8.30am by an eyewitness who was on his way to Sarikei Hospital by river.
The next day (Feb 11) at around 5.10pm, rescuers found a body floating in Sungai Ipar Semop and retrieved it before handing it over to the police for further action.
The body belonged to Lim Pang, 61, and had been verified by the deceased’s family.
