Missing 4 found alive in Spratlys

May 13, 2016 Friday
By Olivia Miwil
olivia@nst.com.my
Pictures by Mohd Adam Arinin

KOTA KINABALU: Four people, who went missing off Kudat 10 days ago, were found alive in the Spratlys Islands, about 400km away and are on their way back here.

The four- a Malaysian woman, a man from China and a Spanish couple- were found by the crew of two Vietnamese fishing boats near the Amboyna Cay Island. 

They were later picked up by a Malaysian Maritine Enforcement Agency (MMEA) vessel that was despatched with a Royal Malaysian Navy ship, after the authorities received word about the four being alive.

MMEA director-general Admiral Datuk Ahmad Puzi Kahar had confirmed that the four-local Armella Ali, 30, Chinese national Tommy Lam Wai Yin, 45, and Spaniards David Hernandez Gasulla and Martha Miguel, both 30- were alive and well. 

They had been on a fibreglass boat powered by an outboard engine when they apparently encountered bad weather in waters between Pulau Balambangan and SImpany Mengayau in Kudat on May 2. 

When they failed to reach their destination, a report was lodged and a massive search and rescue operation was mounted by Malaysian authorities with the aid of fishing trawlers which had volunteered their services. 

An outboard motor was later found on the seabed, followed by reports that an object resembling a boat with an outboard motor was seen underwater in another area. 

MMEA Sabah and Labuan regional director First Admiral Mohd Zubil Mat Som said agency officers discovered the four were still alive by chance. 

He said officers were making a routine inspection of a Vietnamese fishing vessel about 8.30am yesterday when the radio abroad the boat crackled into life.

"Our men on patrol duty were checking the fishing vessel when a man kept saying 'Malaysia, Malaysia' over the radio. After a while, a woman spoke over the radio and it was Armella. 

"She told our man (Lam) was with her," Zubil said, adding that the officers stayed with the Vietnamese fishing boat with 15 people on board to establish the whereabouts of Armella and Lam.

To their surprise another fishing boat radioed in about an hour later and told the officers that they had Gasulla and Miguel safely with them, he said.

Zubil said all four had managed to make calls to their respectve families via satellite phone. 

Arrangements were thereafter made for the four of them to be taken to Amboyna Cay, an island occupied by Vietnam to await Malaysian authorities.

Meanwhile, the Maritime Rescue Coordinating Centre in Putrajaya had contacted their counterparts in Vietnam to discuss about the rescue plan.

Once that was established, two vessels- KD Baung from the Royal Malaysian Navy and the MMEA's KM Bistari- were despatched to pick up the four.

An MMEA Bombardier CL415 amphibious aircraft was put on standby, ready to pick up the four in mid-sea should weather permit, said Zubil.

Safely board the KM Bistari, the four are expected to arrive back in Sabah this morning, Zubil said he agency was hoping to learn more about what had happened once all four are safely back here.



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