KUALA LUMPUR: Rescuers on Monday (Jan 30) expanded their search for four Chinese tourists and a crewman whose boat sank in rough seas off Malaysia, as police detained the skipper, another crewman and the boat owner for suspected negligence.
The owner had breached procedures, including overloading the boat, Sabah state Police Commissioner Ramli Din was quoted as saying by national news agency Bernama.
« Police will also investigate whether negligence led to the deaths of the tourists, » Ramli said.
The sinking of the catamaran off Sabah on Borneo island on Saturday, the first day of the Lunar New Year holiday, sparked a major air and sea search.
Twenty exhausted Chinese tourists survived hours in the water thanks to their life jackets and by clinging desperately to objects from the boat, but three other tourists died.
The skipper and another crew member were earlier rescued off a nearby island.
Initially, authorities said 28 Chinese tourists were on board the ill-fated vessel. But late Monday Malaysian officials said one Chinese had failed to show up for the trip.
The search area has been further expanded from 1,500 to 2,400 nautical square miles, Awil Kamsari, a spokesman for the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, told AFP.
