Ill fated express boat believed to be overloaded, says Sarawak police

Based on initial findings, police believe the ill fated express boat that sank in the Rajang River near Belaga Tuesday morning was overloaded with more than 200 passengers, said Sarawak Police Commissioner, Datuk Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani.

He said the figures that the express boat with a capacity of only 67-seated passengers was packed with more than its official load capacity, was based on accounts of survivors in the tragic incident.

"The identities of those still missing are sketchy because there were no official figures of passengers on board as the express boat operator is believed to have not kept a manifest," he told Bernama in Kuching.

So far unofficial reports said some 21 people are still missing while 181 others managed to swim to safety when the express boat crashed into rocks about 40 minutes after leaving Belaga town.

He said police involved in the search and rescue team were still at the scene of the incident and it would take a few more hours to get any accurate information or confirmation on the actual number of casualties.