Fifth body found in Sarawak's Belawai boat tragedy as SAR enters second day
According to the Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba), the body was recovered at around 6pm, about 300 metres downstream from the SAR operations post.
The current tally stands at five confirmed dead, five still missing, and seven rescued. Among the deceased already identified are two women and three children. All five missing persons are adult men.
The incident last Saturday involved a fibre boat carrying 17 Indonesian nationals from the Kampung Belawai fishermen's jetty to a plantation workers' jetty at the Pelita Zone.
The SAR operation resumed early yesterday morning involving personnel from multiple agencies, including the Fire and Rescue Department, Royal Malaysia Police, Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, Civil Defence Force, Sarawak Rivers Board, People's Volunteer Corps, Sarawak Security and Enforcement Unit, and local villagers.
Specialied teams such as the Water Rescue Unit (PPDA) and K9 Unit were deployed, with K9 dog Bella assisting in the search efforts.
The search area was widened to a five-kilometre radius, and operations were divided into upstream and downstream sectors for better coordination.
The operation was temporarily suspended at 6.40pm yesterday and will continue today. — The Borneo Post
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
9 hours ago
- The Sun
MOE to clarify bullying guidelines through stakeholder engagement
KUALA LUMPUR: The Ministry of Education will organise engagement sessions with stakeholders to clarify existing guidelines on managing bullying cases. Minister Fadhlina Sidek stated this initiative follows one of four demands in the #JusticeForZara memorandum submitted by student activists. She confirmed the ministry remains open to suggestions for improving current bullying protocols. The announcement was made via her official Facebook post. Fadhlina addressed calls for systemic education reforms by highlighting recent safety measures in schools. These include safety audits, an improved complaint system, and a dedicated reform committee. Strict disciplinary actions such as suspensions and expulsions will be enforced against bullying offenders. Psychosocial support will also be strengthened across all educational levels. The minister acknowledged demands for mandatory crisis training for teachers and administrators. She assured ongoing enhancements to ensure staff readiness in handling bullying cases. All schools under the ministry must adhere to established bullying guidelines. Fadhlina emphasised full cooperation with police investigations into Zara Qairina Mahathir's case. Updates on the investigation will be provided by the Royal Malaysia Police. The ministry supports the police special task force formed to handle the case. Fadhlina met student activists in Parliament to discuss concerns raised in their memorandum. The dialogue aimed to address public demands for transparency and systemic improvements. – Bernama
Malay Mail
10 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Bentley and Porsche cars among RM6m luxury vehicles seized in Melaka JPJ's road tax and insurance crackdown
MELAKA, Aug 12 — The Melaka Road Transport Department (RTD) seized seven luxury vehicles, estimated to be worth almost RM6 million, during 'Op Khas Luxury' (Special Luxury Operation) conducted from July 1 until today. Its director, Siti Zarina Mohd Yusop, said the seized luxury vehicles, which include brands like Bentley, Porsche, BMW, and Toyota Alphard, were impounded for various offences, including expired road tax and lack of insurance coverage. She noted that common excuses given by the owners or drivers of these vehicles were that they 'overlooked' or 'forgot' to renew their road tax and insurance. 'The latest luxury vehicle seized was a Toyota Alphard driven by a Myanmar national with six other men of the same nationality, traveling from Kuala Lumpur to Johor Bahru. The seizure took place at the Jasin Toll entrance around 10 am this morning. 'The driver was found to not have a valid driver's license, and none of them had valid travel documents before being handed over to the police for further action,' she said at a press conference on Op Khas Luxury and Op Pemandu Warga Asing (PeWA) (Foreign Driver Operation) here today. Also present were the Deputy Director of the Melaka RTD, Khairul Aswad Abdul Halim, and the Head of the Melaka RTD Enforcement Division, Zulhilmi Zaidie. Elaborating further, Siti Zarina said that a check revealed that the owner of the Toyota Alphard is a local citizen while a detailed investigation is underway to examine various aspects, including whether the vehicle was rented to the foreigners involved. She added that Op Luxury was launched simultaneously across the country on July 1, focusing on strengthening enforcement against imported and luxury vehicles that fail to comply with road regulations and laws. In another development, she said 36 motorcycles ridden by foreigners were also seized under Op PeWA (operation codenamed Op Pewa for vehicles operated by foreigners), which was conducted around the state today. 'The foreigners riding motorcycles were from Indonesia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Rohingya, Myanmar, and Vietnam. The main offences detected were driving without a license, expired road tax, and a lack of insurance coverage,' she said. — Bernama
Malay Mail
10 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Penang DAP installs giant Jalur Gemilang at Kepala Batas hardware store after display faux pas
KEPALA BATAS, Aug 12 — DAP today took a proactive step by installing a giant Jalur Gemilang at a hardware store on Jalan Bertam Perdana, which recently went viral for flying the national flag upside down. Penang DAP assistant secretary H'ng Mooi Lye said the huge flag measuring 10x20ft was put up as an educational effort to demonstrate the correct way to display the national flag and to prevent similar mistakes from recurring. 'For the love of the country, we should make it right. 'The installation of this giant flag also serves as a visual guide for the public on the correct way to do it, especially during this 'Fly the Jalur Gemilang' campaign in conjunction with the National Month, which runs from Aug 1 to Sept 16,' H'ng told reporters during a site visit. H'ng, who is also the State Local Government and Urban and Rural Planning Committee chairman, also distributed 500 flags to members of the public at the site as part of the outreach initiative. Also present was the Penang Chief Minister's Special Coordinator, Lay Hock Peng. H'ng said Penang Island City Council (MBPP) and Seberang Perai City Council (MBSP) are encouraging business owners to decorate their premises with the national flag throughout the National Month period. Meanwhile, the hardware store owner Pang Chin Tian, 59, who went viral over the weekend for allegedly flying the national flag upside down, said he is ready to face any legal consequences. Pang admitted the mistake was unintentional and took full responsibility for the incident, which occurred last Saturday. He vowed to be more careful in the future when displaying the national flag. 'It was not intentional. I admit it was my fault. At the time, the flag hadn't been fully installed yet. Once we realised the mistake, we corrected it immediately. Unfortunately, the viral video only showed part of the incident,' he said. Police arrested Pang last Saturday and released him on bail after recording his statement on Sunday. The investigation was launched following a 21-second video showing Pang and another man allegedly hoisting the national flag upside down. — Bernama
