Everything happened very fast, boat tragedy survivor Chang Yan Qin Alvin, 17, said today after being rescued from a boat which capsized and sank off Tanjung Harapan yesterday.
Two people and a toddler died in the incident, while a couple is still missing.
Chang, one of six people who survived, said the tragedy occurred when the boat made a U-turn about 30 minutes after departing from the Royal Selangor Yacht Club dock.
“The incident happened very quickly when the relatively fast-moving boat suddenly overturned, and in less than 10 seconds, water had entered all compartments of the boat,” he told reporters at the Selangor maritime agency office today.
“The situation inside the boat became chaotic, but I saved myself by trying to swim before managing to sit on top of the overturned boat.”
Chang said he could only scream for help after realising other passengers were not visible and after about five minutes of holding on to the boat, fishermen in another boat approached and rescued him. They contacted the authorities for assistance.
“I understand that this was the second test run for the boat, and before this, the boat was found to be in overall good condition,” he said.
The tragedy took place at about 5pm yesterday.
The missing victims have been identified as Gan Hon Tat, 32, and his wife, Careen Man, 29, both from Klang Utama. Their three-year-old son, Darren, was among the three found dead in the front compartment of the boat, alongside family friends Cheu Son Hin, 50, and Fong Yong Sen, 29, also from Klang Utama.
Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency operations officer Syafiq Sazali said the boat was partially refloated at 2.20pm today, after which the team began pumping out the water.
