Jan. 29 (UPI) — Three people died, six are missing and nearly two dozen were rescued after a catamaran carrying Chinese tourists sank in Malaysian waters, officials said Sunday.
The boat carried 31 people, including 28 tourists from China, and was sailing Saturday from Kota Kinabalu to Pulau Mengalum, a popular tourist island, some 37 miles west to Kota Kinabalu, according to the Chinese consulate in Kota Kinabalu, the state capital.
Two crew members managed to make their way to land to seek assistance, Malaysian officials said.
Adm. Ahmad Kamarulzaman Ahmad Badaruddin, chief of the Malaysian navy, described the outcome as the “best news in a worst-case scenario.”
The consulate said the survivors were rescued by several vessels and were sent to the nearby Labuan island for medical assistance.
Chinese President Xi Jinping asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Chinese Embassy in Malaysia to maintain close contact and cooperation with authorities of Malaysia.
“According to the skipper, the boat was ‘broken’ after being hit by strong waves, and sank. All the tourists were tied together and were carried away by the currents,” Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency director-general Ahmad Puzi Ab Kahar told a news conference in Kota Kinabalu.
Ahmad Puzi said authorities were investigating whether the boat should have been used as a tourist vessel. The Sabah government allows catamarans to carry a maximum of 12 people, including the crew and skipper.
“The weather conditions were also quite bad with very high waves, which raises the question as to whether the boat should have gone out to sea,” Malaysia’s National Security Minister Shahidan Kassim said.
The navy, maritime police and air force were involved in the search, which covered 400 nautical miles.
The incident occurred during the Chinese New Year celebration period.
