Six crew members rescued from sinking vessel

The Malaysian Marine Department, in a statement today said its Central Region division received a report on the incident at 7.30pm.

It said that initial investigation found that strong winds had pushed the vessel to the left side causing it to be filled with water that entered rapidly through a hole in the transom (engine part).

However, efforts to pump out the water was unsuccessful causing the vessel tilted further down to the left.

Meanwhile, the department said monitoring would be conducted to detect oil spills in the surrounding area and any movement of the wreck.

The statement said department would also place marker buoys at the site to notify mariners and ensure that the shipping community do not use the route, adding that investigations would be carried out to identify the cause of the incident.