IPOH: Three women were killed when two boats collided in waters off Lumut-Pangkor near the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) base at about 9 pm yesterday.
Manjung district police chief ACP Nor Omar Sappi said the identity of victims, aged between 26 and 43, who were pronounced dead at the Navy Hospital, Lumut, had yet to be ascertained.
He said a search and rescue (SAT) mission was mounted after a report on the collision was lodged at 9.17 pm yesterday.
The SAR was conducted with the collaboration of the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) in Manjung and the RMN, he added.
“Preliminary investigations found that one of the boats was carrying 17 passengers with a skipper on its way from Lumut to Pangkor, while another boat was carrying a skipper and a passenger from the opposite direction.
“As a result of the collision, 10 passengers were thrown into the sea and they were rescued by the two skippers and taken to hospital for treatment,“ he said in a statement here.
Nor Omar said three of the victims died, while a 43-year-old victim was still in the intensive care unit (ICU), while the others were given outpatient treatment.
He said the bodies of the three victims had been to Seri Manjung Hospital for post-mortem.
He urged those who witnessed the boat collision or with information on the incident to contact the police to assist in the investigation. - Bernama
