Boat capsizes off Mersing: 3 S'poreans believed dead
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By Zul Othman | Posted: 26 December 2010 1836 hrs
SINGAPORE : Three people are dead after a boat carrying about 30 passengers sank off Mersing, Johor.
According to the local Chief of Police, Mohd Nor Rashid, the dead are believed to be Singaporeans.
He told Channel NewsAsia that another two passengers are missing, also believed to be Singaporeans.
The incident happened at about 1.30pm on Sunday, when the boat was travelling between Sibu Island towards Mersing's Tanjung Leman ferry terminal.
Others on board include Malaysians and a Chinese national.
Search and rescue operations are ongoing.
Malaysian police believe the boat was overloaded beyond its normal capacity of 12 passengers, and Mr Mohd Nor Rashid said strong winds and currents may have caused the boat to capsize.
Both the operator and the Malaysian boat driver have been arrested.
Meanwhile, Singapore's Foreign Affairs Ministry said it understands that several Singaporeans were on board the boat which capsized en route from Sibu to Mersing in Malaysia.
An MFA spokesman said officers from its Consulate-General in Johor Bahru are on their way to Mersing to provide assistance.
Singaporeans who are unable to reach their loved ones who were on the boat can contact the MFA duty office at +65-6379-8800 (24 hours) and the Singapore Consulate-General in Johor Bahru at +60-7226-5012 (24 hours).
- CNA/ms -
why all the dead and missings are Singaporeans??
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it's overloaded, over it's cap limit. WIth heavy winds, it must have been a nightmare. :( RIP
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MFA confirms 3 S'poreans dead in Mersing boat incident
Posted: 27 December 2010 0032 hrsSINGAPORE : Singapore's Foreign Affairs Ministry has confirmed that three Singaporeans - two men and a woman - died in the boat capsize incident off Mersing.
Two other male Singaporeans are missing, and search and rescue operations are on-going as at 11 pm on Sunday.
The bodies of the three Singaporeans who died have been identified by family members early Monday morning.
They are Mr Adrian Tan Kook Yong, Mr Chua Lim Khoon and Ms Low Li Jun.
It will assist with the repatriation of the bodies, and facilitate the return to Singapore of those who can travel.
The ministry said it will work closely with the Malaysian authorities on the two missing Singaporeans.
The ministry has also been in touch with the families and next-of-kin of the two missing Singaporeans.
A ministry spokesman added that according to Malaysian authorities, 19 Singaporeans were on board the boat that capsized.
14 were rescued - seven have been warded while the others were given outpatient treatment.
The spokesman added that officers from the ministry's Consulate-General in Johor Baru are on the ground in Mersing rendering assistance.
- CNA /ls -
that's why i don't really like to travel. on the road dangerious enough alreadydon;t say at ea. die my job goona may need me travel to batam or JB. how? oone two time okay. many times the chances of mishaps will increase. its basic maths and statistics. probablility and possibility. i am distressed. should i seek councelling or sue the media for releasing this type of bad news causing me enxiety and mayb alsi fear of travel and thuslosing my job
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wah.
i'm going batam on cny. & tioman in may.
i am so going to count the number of people in the ferry..... -
Originally posted by sinicker:
wah.
i'm going batam on cny. & tioman in may.
i am so going to count the number of people in the ferry.....
also check and enquire the availability of life jackets and how many life jackets in the boat. a boat for 10 people should hav e at least 10 jackets. wear them on if you feel safe before journey starts. that's why i never like travel to batam on frequent bassis. even driving taking public transport to johore also. the more frequent you on the road and at sea, the higher chances of such things happening to you. -
what's the big deal ????!!!
it's not like the Titanic sank right ?
this kind of thing happens all the time in India ' Bangladesh ' Philippines.............some more many times more people die.............
even S'pore Navy warship also sank what...................
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It has always been the norm that those boats run overloaded, just that this particular one wasn't so lucky.
But having travelled to those islands off the mersing coast before, I've been told by many boatmen that october thru to december are choppy water season, so its pretty risky.
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Body of 4th Singaporean found after boat sank in Johor
By Saifulbahri Ismail | Posted: 27 December 2010 1238 hrsSINGAPORE: The body of one of the Singaporeans missing after a fishing boat capsized off Mersing, Johor in Malaysia has been recovered and identified by family members.
Malaysian police identified the victim as 41-year-old Tor Soon Kwee.
The latest development brings to four the number of Singaporeans killed in Sunday's incident.
A spokesman from Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the ministry is working with Singapore's Consulate-General in Johor Baru to assist in the repatriation of the body to Singapore.
Search operations for the second Singaporean missing are on-going.
One Singaporean remains warded in hospital in Mersing.
As for the survivors, Channel NewsAsia understands that Malaysian authorities provided accommodation for them on Sunday night.
Malaysian district police chief Mohammad Nor Rashid told AFP that the accident occurred at about 1:30pm (0530 GMT) as the wooden boat carrying 29 mainly Singaporean tourists headed back to the mainland from Sibu island, where they had been fishing.
"Our reports indicate that there were 19 Singaporeans, one Chinese national and nine Malaysians on board the wooden boat when it capsized because of high waves, near the mainland's jetty, " Mohammad Nor said.
The boat's captain and owner had been detained for questioning pending further investigations, Mohammad Nor said, adding that early indications show there were no life jackets on board.
- CNA/AFP/ir -
Originally posted by ditzy:
It has always been the norm that those boats run overloaded, just that this particular one wasn't so lucky.
But having travelled to those islands off the mersing coast before, I've been told by many boatmen that october thru to december are choppy water season, so its pretty risky.
It's not safe to travel by boats on the east coast of Malaysia during the monsoon from Nov to Feb with strong winds and rough waters.
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HMM sad lor, one of them is newly wed right?
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Singaporeans cancel Mersing fishing plans
Dec 28, 2010 - Straits Times
By Shawn Lee Miller, Multimedia Journalist
THE tragedy in Mersing which left 4 Singaporeans dead and one still missing has had a ripple effect among tourists in the area.
Two Singaporeans staying at the Tunjuk Laut beach resort near the jetty where the tragedy struck told RazorTV that they have cancelled their fishing plans.
One of them expressed her shock as she had travelled on a similar boat just two months ago.
'The water was choppy because it was the monsoon season but we didn't have that kind of fear but after hearing Monday's news, we decided to stay put at the chalet and cancel our fishing plans,' said Singaporean tourist Lily Mary Santhou.
Family members and loved ones were still mourning their loss when RazorTV visited the Tanjung Leman jetty on Monday.
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When I was young, I too nearly drown off selatar island.
Boat capsized, 6 pple dead.
Court case, win the case, boat owner pay damages and compensations.
Went to court, reporters came, interview me.
Same as them, over crowded, gone over the limit.
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wah very drama leh.
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Originally posted by likeyou:
When I was young, I too nearly drown off selatar island.
Boat capsized, 6 pple dead.
Court case, win the case, boat owner pay damages and compensations.
Went to court, reporters came, interview me.
Same as them, over crowded, gone over the limit.
that's back a long time ago.