NINE DROWN OFF JOHOR, SIX FROM PAKISTAN FAMILY

JOHOR BAHARU (Malaysia), April 29 (Bernama) -- Six members of a family from
Pakistan holidaying in Malaysia were among nine people who drowned early Tuesday
when a boat carrying 10 people capsized off Johor in the South China Sea.

The only survivor of the tragedy, which occurred in waters off Teluk Ramunia
near here, was a 14-year-old boy from the family, whom the Pakistan High
Commission in Kuala Lumpur identified as Aqeel Qirkeel.

The high commission, in a statement, identified the dead members of the
family as Hameed, Qasim Ali, Jumah Khan, Zainab, Zulqarnain (a boy) and Sidiqqa
(a baby girl).

The three other persons who were in the boat have yet to be identified.

Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) Southern Region Enforcement
Chief First Admiral (Maritime) Che Hassan Jusoh said the MMEA was notified at
about 9am of the incident in waters 3.2 nautical miles south of Teluk Ramunia.

"Acting on the information, the MMEA sent two speedboats to the area, also
to assist two speedboats of the Marine Operations Force," he said in a
statement.

The bodies of the nine victims were recovered between 4.40am and 3pm.

Che Hassan said that based on preliminary information, a commercial vessel,
Atago, had found the body of a boy at 4.40am in Pengerang waters.

He also said that another commercial vessel, Restore, found the body of a
woman and rescued a boy in the same waters at 7.55am.

He said the Singapore coastguard found the body of a man at about 10am in
Singapore waters while the MMEA recovered the bodies of two men and the body of
a girl at 1.4 nautical miles southeast of Tanjung Ayam in Teluk Ramunia waters.

"The body of a man and that of a woman were found by the Marine Operations
Force at 1.20pm in Pulau Lima waters while the body of another man was found at
about 3pm in the same area," he said.

Che Hassan said the MMEA had yet to identify the dead and ascertain the
cause of the accident while the rescued boy was in a weak state.

He said the boy had been sent to the Kota Tinggi Hospital. The boy had
informed the authorities that those who died were members of his family.

He also said that all the bodies had been brought to the Sultan Ismail
Hospital and that the search-and-rescue operation was terminated at 6pm.

In its statement, the Pakistan high commission said the Pakistan family was
from Quetta in Pakistan, and had flown into Kuala Lumpur on April 18 on a social
visit to Malaysia.

It said the family was traveling from the south of Johor to Teluk Ramunia on
an excursion trip in a small boat when the boat capsized three miles south of
Teluk Ramunia towards the South China Sea.

There were 10 passengers on board, but the nationalities of the others who
died have yet to be determined, it said.

It also said that efforts were being made to send the bodies to Quetta after
the post-mortem.

The high commission can be contacted at 603-2164 5949 or 017-886 3616.

Lying at a cape about 90km from Kota Tinggi town, Teluk Ramunia is a popular
beach tourist destination in Johor, a southern state in Peninsular Malaysia.

-- BERNAMA