Five TLDM ships namely KD SUNDANG, KD RENCONG, KD SERANG, KD GANAS, KD JERONG together with GUARD BOAT 39 and the Marine Police Team have carried out a search January 26th for a fisherman who is feared missing Da Maara. as a support asset in making this mission a success is the Scaneagle M603-7 UAS operated by Squadron 601. This drone was flown for aerial monitoring to help track the location of missing victims.
Initial information received from MRSC Kota Kinabalu said the fishing boat the victim and his two friends were on was believed to have capsized at Muara Pantai Dalit, Tuaran yesterday. The two survivors swam to the shore to seek help. The safety vest that was put on has managed to help the two victims to escape. Another 60-year-old victim was confirmed not to be wearing a life jacket and disappeared from the location of the overturned boat.
The search and rescue operation on the second day led by KD SUNDANG succeeded in finding the victim at around 1pm this afternoon at a location 5 nautical miles (bn) west of Tanjung Gaya. The victim was found clinging to a white oil barrel to help him float. When found, the victim was so weak and helpless. Next, KD SUNDANG lowered the boat to pick up the victims and give them an initial health check before being taken back to the Kota Kinabalu TLDM Base. The victim was then handed over to the Kota Kinabalu Regional Military Hospital for further treatment.
This quick and efficient action clearly demonstrates the efficiency of the TLDM in helping friends in the implementation of this search and rescue mission.