LANGKAWI: The family of 24 year-old Brazilian Lucas Soares Bondezan, who went missing following a luxury yacht explosion in waters near Muka Head, Penang, in September, has hired professional divers to join the ongoing search effort.
A spokesperson for the victim's family, Justin Nicholas De Souza, said they are allocating about RM2.5 million for the search effort, which is now entering its second phase.
"We decided to seek the help of three professional divers to (assist in) efforts to locate Bondezan.
"However, we need permission from the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) before they can start diving in areas where the explosion occurred," De Souza told reporters during a press conference at the Westin Langkawi Resort and Spa here today.
The professional divers were identified as Jakub Hejhal, 26, and David Has, 52, both from the Czech Republic, and Weerawut Phetsawat, 38, from Thailand.
Bondezan was among four crew members of the luxury boat UN1K when it exploded some 15 nautical miles northwest of Muka Head, before sinking on Sept 16.
The boat, which was en route to Singapore from a yacht club in Langkawi, experienced technical problems in the engine room before catching fire and exploding.
The three survivors of UN1K were Jaroslav Horejsek, 37, from the Czech Republic, Rudolf Kolic, from Croatia, and Novak Novakovic from Serbia.