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MERSING - Police have opened two investigation papers into a collision between two passenger boats at Kuala Sungai Mersing last night that left two people dead and seven injured.
Johor police chief Datuk Ab Rahaman Arsad said the case was being investigated under Sections 304A and 280 of the Penal Code.
"Investigations are ongoing and we will complete them as soon as possible,” he told reporters at Kampung Pengkalan Batu today.
He said police had also recommended that the Mersing Marine Department investigate the incident under Sections 299 and 300 of the Merchant Shipping Ordinance 1952.
Eyewitnesses or anyone with information about the collision are also urged to come forward, he said.
Ab Rahaman said the first boat, Sea Queen, was carrying six people aged between 13 and 38 and was believed to be travelling from Pulau Besar to Mersing Jetty when the mishap occurred.
Its 38-year-old male operator and a 32-year-old male tourist died at the scene.
The second boat, Rawa Birds, was carrying three men aged between 28 and 35 - an operator, an assistant and a passenger - from Mersing Jetty to Pulau Rawa.
He said preliminary investigations found that the collision occurred at 8.15 pm, about 800 metres from the Mersing Jetty.
"The other seven victims were injured, some seriously. Three are being treated at Mersing Hospital, three at Sultan Ismail Hospital and one at Pasir Gudang Hospital,” he said.
Ab Rahaman said police were also checking whether both boats had valid permits or licences to carry passengers.
Investigators would also examine the boats’ operating schedules to determine whether they complied with standard operating procedures and relevant regulations, he added. - BERNAMA
