All 22 victims of capsized catamaran off Pulau Mantanani found safe

KOTA KINABALU: All victims aboard a catamaran which capsized in the waters off Pulau Mantanani, Kota Belud yesterday were found safe early today.
Sabah and Labuan Maritime director First Admiral Mohd Zubil Mat Som said the eight women and 14 men comprised 12 Chinese tourists, four guides, four local passengers and two crew members.
He said the victims aged between 12 and 66 were found afloat at sea in Tanjung Dudar, about 18 nautical miles from Kuala Abai, Kota Belud by a Cessna aircraft from the police's Air Operations Force (PGU).
"The search and rescue (SAR) team faced difficulties due to the bad weather, and the search was done at night," he said during a press conference on the incident here today.
The catamaran, measuring 39 feet long and 12 feet wide was reportedly damaged and began leaking about 4pm yesterday.
According to Mohd Zubil, the SAR operations began at 7.15pm with a search radius of about 350 square nautical miles.
He said the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN), Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) and the police also participated in the operation.
Mohd Zubil said the victims were found to be in good health but tired, and were taken to the Kota Belud Hospital for medical examination. — Bernama