The body of a man was recovered this morning from the Rajang River where an express boat carrying about 200 people capsized on Tuesday, resulting in 192 passengers being rescued and 11 going missing.  

The body was that of Tujok Lah, 44, and it would be brought to Belaga Bazaar, said Belaga OCPD DSP Bakar Sebau.  

azlan He said the body was found by residents of the Uma Tebok longhouse in Long Buyun, not far from where the tragedy occurred.

The ill-fated boat, Kawan Mas , was travelling from Bakun to Kapit when it capsized at Jeram Tukok-Jeram Bungan between 8.30 am and 9 am on Tuesday.

Rescuers resumed their search today for the other missing passengers.

Belaga state assemblyperson Liwan Lagang said the search-and-rescue operation resumed at 7am and efforts were being made to haul the ill-fated boat out of the water to look for trapped passengers.

“Today we will use a bigger junk to haul up the boat. The junk we used yesterday was small,” he told Bernama .

OCPD Bakar, meanwhile, reminded people living along the Rajang River to take precautionary measures as water from the Bakun hydroelectric dam would be released to raise the water level of the river.

He said this was necessary to facilitate the work to retrieve the capsized boat.

“The increased volume of water may also lead to intensified water currents and I advise riverine residents to be extra careful,” he said.

Meanwhile, Bernama learnt that express boat services between Kapit and Belaga had been temporarily stopped following the tragedy.

'Two listed as missing are actually alive'

In another development, two men listed among those still missing after an express boat capsized in the Rajang River near Belaga, about 155km from Kapit, last Tuesday, are actually alive and back at their longhouse, a family source said today.

Connie Menai told reporters in Kapit today that her uncle, Akong Empam, 50 and cousin, Hendry Linggi, 35, who were in the missing list after the incident were now resting at their longhouse, Rumah Panjang Berundang Nanga Ensawi, about a two-hour boat ride upriver from Kapit.

“After learning that their names were mentioned among those still missing over the radio last night, I came here together with my husband to lodge a police report to explain the real situation,” she said when met at the district police headquarters in Kapit.

According to her, the duo told her that after jumping off the sinking express boat Kawan Mas , the strong river current had enabled them to drift for about one kilometre before a crewman on board a barge spotted and picked them up.

“It was only by about noon last Tuesday that they reached our longhouse... tired, wet and only wearing their underwear,” she added. 

- Bernama