ROMPIN: About 500 tourists are stuck on Tioman Island after bad weather hit on Sunday.
Bluewater Express Mohammad Syafiq Farhan operation manager said their ferry services have been temporarily suspended until the weather improves.
“With the strong winds and rough seas, we are not taking any risk to ferry the visitors to and from island, despite many demands from the visitors for us to continue,” he said, when contacted today.
The Malaysian Meteorological Department today has issued a warning that strong winds and rough seas (first category) are expected to occur over the waters off Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, east of Johor, Sarawak, Labuan and Sabah (interior, west coast, Kudat and Sandakan) until Friday.
Syafiq said similar incident has occurred during Chinese New Year holiday recently, involving 400 visitors.
Meanwhile, a visitor Abdul Ifwad Mohamad Ruslee, 27, said he left for the island from the Mersing jetty on Saturday with his wife and children, without being aware of the situation.
“I only got to know about the rough seas from other visitors upon arrival at the island.
“The ferry operator should have told me earlier because I came with my children,” he said, adding that he would not left for the island had he known.