Everything happened so fast, says boat capsize survivor
Workers lifting up the wreckage of the boat which overturned in the waters of Tanjung Harapan, Selangor, yesterday. (Bernama pic)
KLANG : Everything happened very fast, boat tragedy survivor Chang Yan Qin Alvin, 17, said today after being rescued from a boat which capsized and sank off Tanjung Harapan yesterday.
Two people and a toddler died in the incident, while a couple is still missing.
Chang, one of six people who survived, said the tragedy occurred when the boat made a U-turn about 30 minutes after departing from the Royal Selangor Yacht Club dock.
'The incident happened very quickly when the relatively fast-moving boat suddenly overturned, and in less than 10 seconds, water had entered all compartments of the boat,' he told reporters at the Selangor maritime agency office today.
'The situation inside the boat became chaotic, but I saved myself by trying to swim before managing to sit on top of the overturned boat.'
Chang said he could only scream for help after realising other passengers were not visible and after about five minutes of holding on to the boat, fishermen in another boat approached and rescued him. They contacted the authorities for assistance.
'I understand that this was the second test run for the boat, and before this, the boat was found to be in overall good condition,' he said.
Family members saying prayers for victims of the boat capsize in Tanjung Harapan. A toddler and two people died, while a married couple is missing. (Bernama pic)
The tragedy took place at about 5pm yesterday.
The missing victims have been identified as Gan Hon Tat, 32, and his wife, Careen Man, 29, both from Klang Utama. Their three-year-old son, Darren, was among the three found dead in the front compartment of the boat, alongside family friends Cheu Son Hin, 50, and Fong Yong Sen, 29, also from Klang Utama.
Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency operations officer Syafiq Sazali said the boat was partially refloated at 2.20pm today, after which the team began pumping out the water.
Missing victims 'swept away'
The fire and rescue department has not ruled out the possibility that two missing victims were swept away by currents while the boat was being towed to the Selangor maritime jetty.
Port Klang fire and rescue chief Haikal Jammy Ngali said the capsized boat was towed by a public boat for about 500m before a distress call was received at around 5pm.
He said the department also did not rule out the possibility that the victims, a married couple, were thrown overboard during the capsize.
Klang Utara police chief S Vijaya Rao said the police had not found any clues regarding the two missing victims even though the search radius covered an area of five nautical miles.
He said all the victims were believed not to be wearing life jackets, which made the search and rescue effort more difficult. He said initial investigations also revealed that the boat, which was being test-driven, was operated by its owner at the time.
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