ALOR SETAR: Three foreigners were injured while another was reported missing after a luxury boat caught fire and exploded in mid-sea off Penang today.
The crewmen were rescued by a local fishing vessel which spotted them drifting in a life raft some 15 nautical miles west of Muka Head about 3am.
The three injured men were identified as Novak Novakovic, 28, from Serbia; Rudolf Kolic, 61, from Croatia; and Jaroslav Horejsek, 37, from the Czech Republic.
Meanwhile, Lucas Bondezan, 24, from Brazil, was reported missing.
The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) spokesperson reported that they received a satellite distress signal from the boat at 12.05am today.
The injured trio had been sent to the Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital for treatment. A search for the missing foreigner has commenced within a 10-mile radius from the point where the boat had capsized.
It was learnt that the boat had left the yacht club in Langkawi about 7pm yesterday for Singapore and a fire was believed to have broke out at the engine section leading to an explosion.