6 Chinese tourists missing after boat sinks off Malaysia

Three people died, six are missing and nearly two dozen were rescued after a catamaran carrying Chinese tourists sank in Malaysian waters, officials said Sunday.


The boat carried 31 people, including 28 tourists from China, and was sailing Saturday from Kota Kinabalu to Pulau Mengalum, a popular tourist island, some 37 miles west to Kota Kinabalu, according to the Chinese consulate in Kota Kinabalu, the state capital.

Two crew members managed to make their way to land to seek assistance, Malaysian officials said.

Adm. Ahmad Kamarulzaman Ahmad Badaruddin, chief of the Malaysian navy, described the outcome as the "best news in a worst-case scenario."

The consulate said the survivors were rescued by several vessels and were sent to the nearby Labuan island for medical assistance.

Chinese President Xi Jinping asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Chinese Embassy in Malaysia to maintain close contact and cooperation with authorities of Malaysia.
 [upi.com]
29/1/17
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Related:

• Malaysia Tourist Boat Missing With 31 People On Board
• A boat carrying 31 people, among them more than 20 tourists from China, has lost contact with the authorities since it sailed out from Kota Kinabalu (KK) in the eastern Malaysian state of Sabah on Saturday, the Consulate General of China in KK said on Sunday.