Two Customs Department officers from Port Dickson were killed when their fast boat caught fire and exploded at Muar River near Pergam, Johor yesterday.

Mohd Yusri Mohd Hashim and Mohd Asri Abdul Ghani, both aged 37, were trapped in the fire which started after the boat's antenna got snagged by a high-voltage power cable near Kampung Pergam in Bukit Pasir.

According to Bernama , two others officer in the prevention team - Othman Hussein, 54, and Kamrushah Mohd Jusof, 33, managed to jump into the river and save themselves.

Muar district police chief ACP Mohd Nizar Mohd Ali told reporters that the high-speed boat originating from Port Dickson had stopped over at the Muar customs jetty before continuing on its journey to the Tanjung Selabu dockyard for repairs in Jorak.

He added the vessel which exploded at 10.30am was still burning several hours after the incident and police had to wait for the flames to be doused before they could check it.

"It was then that the boat's antenna got entangled in the power cable, causing two explosions and the fire on board," Mohd Nizar said.

As there was no access road to the spot, rescue squads had to get there on boats.

For post-mortem

Firemen then took more than two hours to put out the blaze and recover the bodies of Muhammad Yusri and Mohd Asri from the cabin.

Mohd Nizar said rescuers from the Marine Police, Fire and Rescue Department and Civil Defence Department rushed to the scene upon being alerted of the incident.

Survivors Othman and Kamrushah were rescued by a local fisherman before being taken to the Sultanah Fatimah Hospital here. They were reported to be in stable condition.

The bodies of Mohd Yusri and Mohd Asri were taken to the same hospital for post-mortem.

A team of electricians and engineers from Tenaga Nasional Bhd later conducted checks on the power cables, which run between Serom and Pergam

According to Mohd Nizar, the Customs vessel called Perentas which is usually used to deter smuggling activities costs about RM4 million and is considered one of the most modern and speediest vessels around.