Chinese couple in Semporna kayaking incident found safe

Two Chinese nationals who failed to return from a kayak outing here yesterday were safely located about 500 metres off the south of Mabul Island the same day by a marine police team.

Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCom) commander Datuk DCP Wan Abdul Bari Wan Abdul Khalid said Qin Yiping, 28, and her boyfriend Zhao Zhe, 26, were found around 9pm.

"The tourists went on a kayak outing around 5.30pm and when they did not return by 8pm, staff of Mabul Paradise Resort alerted police and two assets were used to look for them," he said in a statement today.

He said an investigation found that the couple were caught in low tide among the coral reefs and were too exhausted to head back.

-- BERNAMA