08-07-2025
Small boat capsizes off Belawai, killing 10 including 3 children
BELAWAI: Ten people, including three children, lost their lives when an overloaded fibreglass boat capsized in rough seas off Pantai Belawai last Saturday.
Police said that the tragedy was due to overloading, with the vessel carrying 17 Indonesians along with various goods.
Sarikei district police chief Superintendent Aswandy Anis said the boat was not designed to carry such a heavy load, especially with both passengers and cargo on board, Kosmo! reported.
"With 17 people and goods onboard, the boat became difficult to control. When it encountered strong waves, it capsized immediately," he said.
The victims were en route from the Kampung Belawai fishermen's jetty to the Zion Pelita plantation jetty when the incident occurred at around 2pm.
The bodies of five men, two women, two young boys, and a girl were recovered.
Seven others were rescued by a local man and his nephew, who rushed to the scene after witnessing the capsizing.
"Suddenly, we saw people floating and waving for help, so my nephew and I got on a boat and rushed over," said 63-year-old Madihi Basah, who had been resting in a hut near the beach when the tragedy unfolded.
A Search And Rescue (SAR) team recovered the remaining five missing victims yesterday morning in waters around Muara Belawai, Sungai Pinang, and Sungai Selumit. A three-year-old boy had been found the evening before, about 300m from the fire and rescue operations post.
