A fisherman is feared missing after the fibre boat he was travelling in was believed to have capsized while he was out fishing in the waters off Pulau Tenggol on Thursday.
The 32-year-old man, identified as Sabrie Rusli, was believed to have fallen into the sea at about 5pm and had yet to be found as of noon.
Kemaman Maritime Zone commander Maritime Commander Abdul Halim Hamzah said a search and rescue (SAR) operation was launched after the Kuantan Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre received information at about 6.25pm.
“Search efforts were carried out, but the victim was not found. As a result, today’s SAR operation has been expanded to cover 58.6 square nautical miles (108.53 square kilometres) around the waters of Pulau Tenggol,” he said when contacted today.
At the time he was last seen, Sabrie was reportedly wearing a grey and white long-sleeved T-shirt.
Abdul Halim said the search is being conducted using Perkasa 49, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency vessel KM Jujur and a CL415 aircraft.
Rescuers have continued scouring the waters as efforts to locate the missing fisherman enter a new phase, with changing sea conditions potentially adding to the challenge.
The maritime authorities have also urged fishing communities in the area to immediately report any objects believed to be linked to Sabrie to the rescue team.
The search operation remains ongoing as authorities work to determine the whereabouts of the missing fisherman.
