MIRI: The search and rescue (SAR) operation for four fishermen who went missing after their boats capsized off Miri waters on Tuesday (July 18) has been expanded to cover over 539 square nautical miles.
However, the operation had to be temporarily postponed today due to adverse weather conditions, including strong winds, heavy rain and rough seas.
Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) Miri director Mohd Shafie Paing stated that the waves were as high as 3m, posing a danger to the rescue team. “Once the situation improves, the operation will resume.”
As of Friday (July 21), no new leads have been found in the search. The SAR operation was initiated on Wednesday (July 19) after two reports were lodged on the same day.
The missing fishermen have been identified as Masni Jana, 60; Zaidi Jana, 43; Annuar Amin, 54; and Junaidi Jamin, 70.
During the incident, Masni was on a boat with two other fishermen, Mohd Firdaus Mustaqim Rol, 35; and Mohammad Azrul Abdullah, 20.
Fortunately, both Mohd Firdaus and Mohammad Azrul were rescued by fellow fishermen at a location approximately 8.6 nautical miles off Kuala Bakam on Thursday (July 20).
However, Zaidi, Annuar and Junaidi remain missing at this time. The two boats had departed from a jetty in Pulau Melayu on July 18 at 8.30am and were expected to return on July 19 at 7am.
The incident was attributed to strong waves that caused the boats to capsize, as reported by the Miri Civil Defence Force.
