Second Sarawak river boat tragedy since 2010

The boat express service, which is one of the popular mode of transportation in Sarawak, has witnessed another accident today, since the last incident on Oct 18, 2010 that claimed 13 lives.

Following the incident, the image of the late Jennifer Yak has resurfaced.

She was 10-month-old when the authorities found her body floating in the river and she was among 13 people who died when an express boat collided with a tug boat at a shrap bend in Anap Tatau river, Kuching.

Today, a number of passengers were still missing while others managed to swim to safety when an express boat packed with 100 passengers returning home for the Gawai Dayak Festival this weekend sank at the Jeram Tukok/Jeram Bungan, about four hours journey upriver from Sibu.

The mishap occurred between 8.30am and 9am when the boat, with a load capacity for 67 seated passengers, crashed onto a rock in the area.

As there are many rivers in the 124,000 square kilometres that make up the state of Sarawak, express boats are a popular means of cheap tranportation including in the Rajang basin that also serves to transport logs down river.

It is understood there are at least 25 express boats plying the Rajang river daily.

The river, originating from the Iran Mountains, flows southwest approximately 563km into Kapit, and then to the South China Sea, making it the longest river in Malaysia.

National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (Niosh) chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye told Bernama when commenting on the incident that the boat operators should ensure that its passengers did not exceed the boat’s passenger capacity.

“The boat operators must also provide life jackets and floats as a safety measure on the boat for the passengers,” he said.

He also advised the boat operators to consistently check their boats’ condition.