KAPIT: A search and rescue (SAR) operation to locate a 58-year-old man reported to missing in Putai River yesterday will commence today (Apr 26) due to travel difficulties.
A spokesman for the Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) said the missing person is identified as Bon Albert.
Kapit fire station had received a call from the police around 3 pm yesterday regarding a boat capsizing incident.
Following that, a team led by its station chief Timothy Barat went to Kapit police station for a briefing and gathered detailed information pertaining to the incident.
“According to a police report, the complainant had gone out to fish with three of his friends (including the victim) upstream of Putai River around 9 pm on Monday (Apr 24).
“It was raining at the time of the incident, and while they were travelling, the boat they were on was flooded with water. Their boat later capsized due to choppy river condition caused by strong winds.
“Three of them managed to swim to safety while, one of them named Bon Albert was nowhere to be found and is feared to have drowned,” the spokesman said, adding efforts to find the victim was fruitless until a police report was lodged.
For the record, it was made to understand that the journey from Kapit town to the scene of the incident takes more than four hours to reach as they need to reach Tajai longhouse by land (more than two hours) and reach the scene of the incident by river using a long boat from Tajai longhouse (more than two hours).
As at 5.10 pm yesterday Timothy stated that the SAR operation would commence today (Apr 26) due to the long journey to the location using Rajang River waterway and it will take approximately four hours using Balleh River (two hours) and Batang Putai tributary to upstream (two hours).
It is reported that the Bomba boats could not be used at the scene of the incident due to receding water and the river is filled with rocks. The team will use the boats belonging to the longhouse residents.
