Senior citizen feared drowned after falling off ferry in Penang

A senior citizen is feared drowned after falling into the sea from a ferry which was departing the Raja Tun Uda terminal here today.

According to a source, a men, in his 60s, was sitting in the passenger area on the top level before falling off at 11.25am while the incident was witnessed by two passengers at the bottom level of the ferry.

"The two witness were workers of a security company who were waiting in the ferry at the bottom level. They claimed to have seen a man fall into the sea and alerted the crew of the ferry. The crew later informed the captain of the ferry," he said here today.

The source said the captain then turned off the engine and started to look for the victim.

"According to initial investigations, the victim was believed to be a Chinese man who was wearing a striped blue and white shirt. He was believed to have walked to the top level before falling," he said adding that the crew found a pair of slippers, believed to be the victim's at the passenger section.

As of 5pm, the search and rescue operation carried out by the Fire and Rescue Department, as well as the Marine Operations Force was still in progress, he said.

Meanwhile, North-Eastern District Police Chief, ACP Mior Faridalatrash Wahid when contacted confirmed the incident and said so far, the identity of the victim was not known.