An outing for squid fishing turned tragic when a boat carrying 12 people capsized in open waters, leaving one local fisherman dead in an incident off the Terengganu coast on Friday.
Kuala Terengganu district police chief Assistant Commissioner Azli Mohd Noor said the deceased was identified as 37-year-old fisherman Ahmad Nasaruddin Mohmad Jalil from Kampung Batin, Kuala Terengganu.
He said the district police headquarters received an emergency call via MERS 999 at about 9pm from an informant reporting the incident.
Preliminary statements from the boat captain, Mohd Awais Sa’ari, 37, revealed that the group had departed from Kampung Batin Seberang Takir jetty at around 5.30pm for a squid-catching trip.
The vessel carried 10 passengers and two crew members, including the deceased, who was also the captain’s cousin.
While at sea at about 8.40pm, water reportedly began entering the engine compartment due to choppy sea conditions.
The situation worsened rapidly, prompting the deceased to cut the anchor rope so the boat could move in an attempt to reach nearby vessels for assistance.
However, within 15 minutes, the boat fully sank.
The captain managed to swim roughly 1.8 kilometres before locating a passing civilian boat, which then rescued all survivors drifting at sea.
The victim was found unconscious during the rescue operation and later brought to the Kampung Batin LKIM jetty in Kuala Nerus.
Authorities confirmed that no foul play was detected at the scene, and the body has been sent to Hospital Sultan Zainal Abidin (HoSZA) for post-mortem examination.
