Sabah catamaran tragedy: Six still missing

There are still six victims missing from the catamaran which capsized while on its way from Kota Kinabalu to Pulau Mengalum on Saturday, according to Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Ramli Din.

He said based on police investigations so far, the individuals missing were five Chinese tourists, and one crew member.

"In my press conference yesterday, I explained that one of the travellers whose name appeared on the list of passengers was actually not on the boat. But upon further investigation, we found there were a few more things which needed explanation.

"One of the individuals whose name was on the list (of passengers) had boarded the boat with his child and his wife. But the man's wife and child were not included in the name list. Only his name was on it," he told reporters, here today.

He said the man was one of the passengers who survived the tragedy.

"There is another passenger, whose name was listed in short form (single name) and again in its full form, which resulted in two names listed, but of the same person" said Ramli.

"If this is the situation, we cannot rely on the passenger manifest (provided by the boat operator). I do not rule out the possibility that there may be further changes once further investigations have been carried out," he said.

He said there were still many victims who could not be interviewed as they were still weak and traumatised by the incident.

Meanwhile, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim when met during a visit to a flood relief centre in Pekan, Pahang, confirmed the number of victims missing was now six.

He said the search and rescue mission had also been intensified by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, with more assets mobilised to search a wider area.

In the tragedy at 10am on Saturday, the catamaran carrying 28 Chinese tourists and three crew members capsized and sank due to strong winds and huge waves while travelling to Pulau Mengalum, about 56 kilometres northwest of Kota Kinabalu.

So far, 25 victims have been accounted for, including three who died. - BERNAMA