TOTAL DEATH TOLL IN NORTHERN STATE BOAT TRAGEDY RISES TO SIX

PENANG (Malaysia), Jan 18 (Bernama) -- The recovery Monday afternoon of the
bodies of two more students involved in Jan 17's boat mishap here has taken to
six the total death toll in the tragedy.

The bodies of Yong Xiang, 16, and Cheah Zi Jun, 17, were found close
together
at 4.15pm in the waters near Tanjung Marina pier, about one kilometre from the
spot off Macallum Street where the accident occurred, said a spokesman of the
search-and-rescue (SAR) team.

The bodies of two other students, Brandon Yeoh, 17, and Goh Yi Zhang, 15,
were found earlier Monday, in the waters near the Raja Tun Uda ferry terminal
and Tanjung Marina pier, respectively.

On Jan 17, the SAR team recovered the bodies of student Jason Ch'ng, 17, and
teacher Chin Ai Fang, 28.

The Chung Ling High School teacher and the five students as well as 10 other
students and two instructors were training for the Penang International Dragon
Board Race scheduled for July in Teluk Bahang when their dragon boat capsized
after being hit by a huge wave at 8.45am on Sunday.

The mishap occurred about 100 metres offshore Lebuh Macallum, in an area
often used by schools for their weekly boat rowing exercises.

The Chung Ling High School dragon boat team had been training for almost an
hour since 8am when it was hit by the wave, the impact of which dashed the boat
against a tugboat.

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, who visited the families of the
students, said the school should attend to all the queries of the families so
that they understood what had actually happened.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Dr Koh Tsu Koon visited
the scene of the accident with state assemblyman Hilmi
Yahaya.

Dr Koh extended his condolences to the families of those who drowned in the
mishap and asked the state government to look into the safety aspect before
designating an area as the venue of the dragon boat race.

Dr Koh, who is a former student of the school, said he would
meet with the school board, administration and principal on the tragedy.

-- BERNAMA