Missing catamaran: SAR operation for Chinese tourists, crew ongoing

The search and rescue (SAR) operation for a catamaran with 28 Chinese tourists and a crew of three which was reported missing in the waters off Kota Kinabalu yesterday, is still ongoing.

Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) Sabah and Labuan Region deputy director (Operations) Maritime Captain Abdul Rahim Ramli said the SAR mission involved the MMEA, Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) and the Marine Operations Force (MOF) as well as the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) .

"RMAF has despatched a C130 aircraft for the operation," he said in a statement here today.

The catamaran was reported missing after it left the Tanjung Aru jetty here at 9am for Pulau Mangalum, about 56 kilometres northwest of Kota Kinabalu.

The SAR mission was mounted at 10.15pm yesterday after a police report was lodged at 9.50pm.

The search, coordinated by the Kota Kinabalu Maritime Rescue Sub Coordinator (MRSC) involves an area of 400 square nautical miles.

At press time, the SAR team was experiencing rough seas and strong winds. -- BERNAMA