Fourteen people are missing after a dredge vessel capsized about 8.6 nautical miles off Tanjung Punggai, Johor due to strong waves.
The Bolivian-registered barge carrying sand had been on the way to Pengerang when the waves hit at 4.20am on Wednesday.
According to Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) Tanjung Sedili enforcement chief Captain Amran Daud , of the 15-men crew, one was Malaysian and the rest Chinese, The Star Online reports.
“The vessel was hit several times by strong waves before it capsized and its crew members falling into the sea at around 4.20am,” he was quoted as saying, adding that a 51-year-old Chinese crew member rescued by a passing boat.
The MMEA deployed a ship, three boats and a plane to find the other crew members.
“However our mission to find the missing crewmen hit a snag due to bad weather and choppy seas. We will continue to find them,” he was quoted further.
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