SEMPORNA: The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) detained an abandoned speedboat with 16 jerrycans of subsidised petrol about 0.7 nautical miles north of Pulau Gaya here on Friday.
Based on intel received, MMEA patrol boat KM Banggi spotted and pursued the suspicious speedboat with registration number TW 6387/6/F at about 9.10 am.
The boat skipper jumped into the sea and fled to shallow waters upon noticing the approaching KM Banggi. A subsequent inspection uncovered 16 jerrycans suspected to contain petrol.
The boat and items, valued at RM11,000 were seized for investigation under the Supply Control Act 1961. MMEA are intensifying efforts to locate the boat skipper.
Meanwhile, in Kinabatangan, a 30-year-old man is feared to have been attacked by a crocodile while fishing in the river at a plantation in Kg. Suan Lamba, on May 1 noon.
The victim, identified as a foreigner, was reported missing when he failed to return home and only his slippers and fishing gear were found at the scene.
The Kinabatangan Fire and Rescue station, alongside other agencies including police, launched a Search and Rescue (SAR) Operation on May 2 but suspended efforts at 5:50 p.m.
The SAR resumed on May 3, covering a 5km radius from the river’s upstream to its estuary using surface searching techniques. As of 6.00 pm on Saturday, the victim remains missing. – James Leong
