LANGKAWI: An Egyptian tourist, who went missing at sea on Monday evening after falling off the balcony of a hotel here, was found dead at 1.30pm today.
Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) district 1 maritime director, First Admiral Zulkarnain Mohamad Omar, said the body of Yahya Yousry Mohamad Al-Sayid, was found floating about 6.5 nautical miles away from where he fell at the Berjaya Hotel Resort Langkawi.
In the 4pm incident on Monday, Yahya was believed to have fallen from the balcony of the hotel.
Upon realising what happened, his wife reported the incident to the hotel staff.
A search and rescue (SAR) operation was mounted as soon as authorities received a distress call at 4.30pm, with MMEA, the Fire and Rescue Department, the Civil Defence Department, divers from the Royal Malaysian Navy, police and the public involved.
Stormy weather and strong waves however hampered search efforts for the victim.
“The deceased’s body was handed over to police for further action. The SAR was halted at 2pm today, and all assets involved have returned to base,” he said.
Zulkarnain expressed hope that the incident will serve as a reminder to tourists from outside Langkawi, as well as to Langkawi residents to be more careful and avoid being in dangerous areas, especially given the current inclement weather, to prevent any loss of lives.