MUKAH: A 55 year-old man drowned when the boat he was travelling in collided with another vessel in Batang Igan, near Kampung Kebuwau here yesterday.
Rescuers recovered the body of Sulai Api at 10.55am today, about 17 hours after the mishap.
It is learnt that Sulai was returning home from his orchard when the boat was involved in the 5.30pm accident. It is understood that the impact of the collision was so strong that the victim was thrown into the water.
Two other people on the other boat, aged 27 and 30, escaped with minor injuries.
State Fire and Rescue Department assistant director Farhan Sufyan Borhan said the body of Sulai was recovered about 500m from the scene of the incident.
“The body of the victim has been sent to the Mukah hospital for a post-mortem,” he said.
He added that 40 boats had been pressed into service to scour areas near the location of the accident in search of the victim.