2 killed, 1 missing in Tatau collision - 2 children died after the express boat collided with a tugboat and its timber laden barge on Sungai Anap

Two killed, one missing in Tatau collision
By STEPHEN THEN
stephenthen@thestar.com.my

MIRI: Two children died after the express boat they were in collided with a tugboat and its timber laden barge at about 2.30pm on Sungai Anap in the central region of Sarawak.

One person is still missing, while 17 other passengers were rescued, Sarawak Marine Operations Force chief ACP Taib Sabot said at about 7pm yesterday.

The identity of the dead and the missing was not immediately available.

There have been conflicting reports about the number of passengers on the express boat due to the location of the mishap.

A survivor, Jackson Ukit, claimed there were at least 30 passengers onboard.

Jackson, 39, from Rumah Ado, managed to swim out of the wreckage after the accident.

“It was chaotic. There was a crash and suddenly we were underwater,” he said when interviewed at the Bintulu Hospital.

The site of the crash, near the Kelubuk timber camp, is very remote and quite far from Tatau Bazaar which is 120km from Bintulu town.

The nearest settlement is Rumah Ado, a Punan longhouse.

According to a source, the boats were moving in the same direction down river when they collided at a sharp bend.

It is learnt that besides villagers, the express boat was also carrying government officers who were carrying out survey work.

Divers from the Marine Operations Force base in Kuching have been deployed for the search and rescue operation.

Personnel from the Fire and Rescue Department, Fisheries Department and various other organisations as well as the local community also sprang into action.

Bintulu police chief Supt Sulaiman Abdul Razak rushed his men, vehicles and equipment to help their counterparts from the Tatau district police station.

Punan Association chairman Calvin Jemarang said some villagers, who travelled down to Bintulu after the incident, reported that the boat had collided with the barge in mid-river.

“It is unclear what actually happened. They said the weather was good at Ulu Tatau. The longhouse folk from the surrounding settlements and the timber camp workers are assisting in the search and rescue operations.”

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