SEBUYAU: The search and rescue (SAR) mission to find the four missing crew members of MV Tung Sung cargo ship in Sebuyau and Pulau Burung waters has expanded its search area to 159.9 nautical miles.
Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) Sarawak director, First Admiral Zin Azman Md Yunos, said that the operation has been going on for four days now since today (July 23), and they have searched a total area of 713.94 square nautical miles.
A total of 87 rescuers from various agencies, including the Marine Police, Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba), Sarawak Coast Guard (SCG), and the Civil Defence Force (APM), are working together to find the missing crew members.
To aid in the operation, seven marine assets from the rescue agencies are being used. These include the Kota Kinabalu maritime ship (KM), Pengawal 6 boat, Kilat 22 boat, a Marine Police Force boat, SC Terubuk ship, and two aluminium boats belonging to Bomba and APM.
According to Zin, the weather conditions have been favourable, with winds blowing from the north at speeds of 10 to 20 kilometres per hour, and waves around 0.5 to 1 metre high.
As of now, the rescue teams have not found any new leads in the search operation.
Last Saturday, the authorities discovered four bodies suspected to be the MV Tung Sung crew members floating in the waters about 15 nautical miles northeast from Pulau Burung.
Local fishermen alerted the rescuers to this discovery around 1.15 pm.
Out of the four bodies found, three were taken to Sebuyau public jetty, and the fourth was taken to the Tun Abang Salahuddin Maritime Complex Jetty (KOMTAS).
The bodies have not yet been identified and have been handed over to the police for further investigation.
