The search and rescue operation for Turkish national Eser Demirkol, who went missing in the waters off Pulau Yu here, was called off today after a seven-day search.
Terengganu maritime director Hamiludin Che Awang said the operation ended at 8pm after no signs of the 52-year-old victim were found.
Hamiludin said the total search area over the seven days was around 457.61 sq nautical miles, involving sea and air assets of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) and marine police.
“The search also involved a team of divers who made 10 dives over four days with the help of remote operated vehicles.
“In addition, several Kelantan maritime assets were used as additional platforms to assist divers in locations with depths exceeding 50m,” he said in a statement.
Hamiludin said the operation was also terminated after aerial searches on the second to seventh days failed to detect any floating debris or waste related to the sunken yacht named Daisy.
He said MMEA assets that conduct daily operations in the waters will continue to search at the location of the incident.
“The operation will be reactivated if there are any new leads related to this incident,” he said.
It was reported that three men from Turkey who were also participants in a cruise were planning a sailing expedition to return to their home country on July 28.
However, on the evening of July 29, the yacht they were on sank after being hit by a storm in the waters off Pulau Yu.
