The body of a man found floating in the Rajang River yesterday near the longhouse Rh Lat, more than an hour’s boat journey from Giam Bungan, the site of the May 28 Belaga express boat tragedy in Belaga, is believed to belong to one of the two missing passengers.  

District police chief DSP Bakar Sebau said yesterday the victim’s fellow worker came to the police station in Belaga upon hearing news of the discovery.     

azlan “He believed the badly decomposed remains is that of Maurice Ajan, 22, a maintenance worker of a private company at the Bakun Hydro Dam in Bakun near Belaga, from the blue jeans, black leather jacket and red underwear he wore.    

“Based on our records, the victim is from Rh Anthony in Nanga Dap, in Kanowit,” he said before leaving for his routine surface search and rescue operations today.     

Bakar said the remains had been sent to the Bintulu General Hospital for a post-mortem.

“We also strongly believe the victim is Maurice but we can only be 100 percent sure after a DNA test is done. His mother is there to give her blood sample for the testing,” he said.     

Meanwhile, Bakar who is in charge of the search and rescue operations, told Bernama the 13 divers and other personnel from the Marine Police would leave Belaga for Sabah en route to Lahad Datu today.     

“They have been assisting us to try to locate the position of the sunken ‘Kawan Mas’ boat.

“They are leaving to continue with their assignments under the Ops Daulat,” he said.     

Bakar also said six divers, one naval engineer and other personnel from the Therra Horizon, a company under Petronas, which would try to refloat the boat about 350 metres from where it had sunk at Giam Bungan, were expected to arrive in Belaga today.     

Captain Khairul Azeman Mokhtar, its technical adviser, had earlier said they would bring more than RM2 million worth of equipment for the complicated task which was expected to take more than three days based on preliminary assessment.     

The ‘Kawan Mas’ boat had carried more than 200 passengers, well over its official limit of 64, when it hit a log and developed engine problem before capsizing in the Rajang River at Giam Bungan at about 8.45am.     

To date some 213 passengers had been reported safe, two are still missing and one confirmed dead.

- Bernama