SIBU – Three out of four missing victims of a longboat which capsized at Sg Batang Baleh, Kapit on Thursday were found yesterday, with two located over 100km from the site of the incident.
Kapit Fire and Rescue chief Timothy Barat said two victims were successfully identified as Jonathan Lambert, 51 and Jack Balan, 45.
“Jonathan’s body was found floating near the Kapit express boat terminal at 4.02pm and was handed over to the police for further action. His pistol was found with him,” he told Bernama when contacted.
He also added that Jack Balan was the first victim found by the public in the waters of Pulau Kerto, Sibu – over 100km away from the incident site – around 11am. He was identified by his wife before being sent to Sibu Hospital for further action.
The third body was discovered by the public around 11am in the waters near Bintangor, but drifted away and was found again in Batang Lebaan – nearly 200 km away by a marine police team at around 5pm.
Search operations were suspended for the day at 6.30pm with another victim yet to be found.
Five people were on the boat that capsized on Thursday afternoon, including two police personnel from the Kapit police headquarters Jonathan Lambet and Iskandar Ibrahim – along with civilians Amerson John Nain, 47 and Jack Balan, 45, as well as Moses Ngui, 47, who was rescued by the public when the boat capsized. – March 10, 2024