Mokhtar Yusof.
CHUKAI: The three fishermen reported missing after failing to return from a fishing trip in Kemaman waters on Sunday were found safe this morning.
Kemaman Maritime Zone Operations deputy director Muhammad Faisal Abdul Rahim said the victims were found by a local fishing boat 25 nautical miles southeast of Kuala Kemaman, in Kuantan waters.
He said that the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) received a call from a family member of the victims around 5.30am on Thursday (Oct 17), informing them of the discovery.
"The victims were found safe by a Pahang fishing boat engaged in fishing activities near the location.
"Upon receiving the call, I dispatched the Perkasa 49 boat to the site for monitoring. The boat that all the fishermen were aboard is believed to have a faulty battery,” he said when met by reporters at the search and rescue (SAR) forward base at the MMEA Kemaman Maritime Zone here on Thursday.
Muhammad Faisal said one of the victims, the boat skipper Mokhtar Yusof, 69, was taken home on the Perkasa 49 boat because he was suffering from a fever.
According to him, the damaged boat, along with two other victims - Mohd Syukri Mokhtar, 46, and Mohd Nasir Yusoff, 46 - was towed home by another fishing boat at noon on Thursday and they were expected to reach the Kemaman Maritime Zone’s Forward Base Jetty by 4pm.
"The Perkasa 49 boat brought Mokhtar home at 7.30am and reached the Forward Base Jetty at around 10.50am.
"Today’s (Thursday's) weather conditions at sea are favourable, with wave heights only reaching about 0.5 metres. We expect the trip from the site of the incident to the jetty to take approximately four hours,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mokhtar, when met by reporters, said that he and his son, along with his younger brother, were getting ready to head home at 4am last Tuesday (Oct 15), when the boat’s battery malfunctioned, leaving them stranded and in the dark.
According to him, since the location was a shipping route, he had to light a makeshift torch made from rags to avoid being struck by passing vessels.
"We found ourselves in the dark when the batteries malfunctioned and all the lights went out. There were large ships passing by, but they likely didn’t notice us.
"We also had to cut wood on top of the boat to use as fuel for cooking instant noodles because we ran out of rice,” said Mokhtar, who has been a fisherman for more than 50 years.
Mokhtar said that he spotted a local fishing boat in the area last night and promptly lit the emergency beacon to draw the attention of the fishermen on board.
"Alhamdulillah, around 1am, the fishermen approached our boat and shared some bread and other food with us. They also attempted to charge the boat’s battery, but it didn’t work,” he said. - Bernama
