KOTA KINABALU: The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) has officially ended its search operation for the missing five people from January’s catamaran tragedy.
In a statement, MMEA said the agency has found no signs of missing passengers throughout the operation, which has entered its 126th day today.
“The operation has ended at 9.20am and we thank all relevant departments and agencies for their cooperation since the operation commenced,” said MMEA.
On Jan 28, a boat ferrying 28 Chinese tourists and three crew members capsized after leaving Tanjung Aru jetty here en route to Pulau Mengalum.
Two crew members were rescued near Pulau Tiga and 23 tourists were found in Semarang waters the next day. Three of them were already dead.
Another body was fished out from Mengalum waters after it got caught in a fishing net.
However, five people remain missing – a child, a women and three men, including a crew member.