KUALA TERENGGANU, Aug 6 — The search and rescue (SAR) operation for a Turkiye national, who went missing in the waters off Pulau Yu here, entered its sixth day yesterday.
Terengganu Maritime director Captain Maritime Hamiludin Che Awang said efforts to locate Eser Demirkol, 52, have not shown any positive developments despite various search methods being implemented.
He said the uncertain weather conditions, namely strong winds and rough seas around the search location yesterday, made the rescuers’ task even more difficult.
“The sixth day of operations, which began at 7am, was temporarily suspended at 7pm and will resume at 7.30am tomorrow. The search area today is focused on the location where the yacht sank and around the area where the second victim, Ahmet Volkan Ata, 52, was found, which is five nautical miles from Pulau Yu.
“The diving team lowered Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV) equipment to assist in the search, but as of 6.50pm, no positive findings or leads have been obtained,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Hamiludin said the two survivors, Volkan Ata and Ates Demiroren, 42, have been discharged from hospital after their health conditions stabilised.
“The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) asks all parties who have information or see any suspicious objects around the incident area to immediately report to the authorities or the Terengganu Maritime Operations Centre at 09-6224357,” he said.
Previously, it was reported that three men from Turkiye who were participants in the cruise were planning a sailing expedition to return to their home country last Monday.
However, last Tuesday evening, the yacht ‘Daisy’ that they were on sank after being hit by a storm in the waters off Pulau Yu. — Bernama
