Sarikei – Mereka yang terselamat dari tragedi kapal karam di sini menyatakan mereka berpaut kepada bot penyelamat selama tiga hari tiga malam selepas kapal yang dinaiki terbalik di 8.9 batu nautika dari Kuala Rajang pada pukul 8.30 pagi hari Isnin.Menurut seorang yang terselamat, Jong Boh Siong, beliau menyatakan kapal MV Soon Bee 2 meninggalkan Kuching pada hari Isnin. Pada pagi Selasa jam 8.30, mereka berdepan cuaca buruk dengan petir dan kilat serta gelombang ombak besar setinggi 4 hingga 5 meter yang berterusan sehingga air melimpahi masuk ke dalam kapal kargo dinaiki.
Beliau menyatakan sebaik saja kapal itu hampir karam, sepuluh orang dari mereka mencapai dan menaiki rakit yang didapati dari kapal berkenaan.
Pagi kelmarin mereka sampai ke tebing sebuah sungai, berjalan merentasi hutan dan tiba di Kampung Bayang dimana orang kampung di situ memberi mereka makanan dan menghubungi pihak polis
Rakyat Malaysia yang terselamat ialah Imam Fahrudi (jurugan), Sadri Ismail (ketua pegawai), Wong Kie Ket, Robert Aling anak Kiniding dan Jong Poh Siong.
Lima lagi merupakan rakyat India iaitu Athoaba Baremron Kabul, Vivek Kumar Sharma, Narotam Banshiyar, Maniah Kumar Singh dan Ravinderdeep Singh.
Lapan mangsa yang hilang ialah Bong Youn Choi, Jong Qing You, Bong Kui Son serta Paturaa anak Sipor dari Malaysia, manakala empat lagi rakyat India iaitu Tripati Yogesh Kumar, Arun Mathunny Raj, Vijit Hazarika dan Akhand Pratap Singh.
Ketua Penguat kuasa Maritim Wilayah Sarawak Laksamana Pertama Ismail Bujang Pit berkata operasi mencari dan menyelamat yang terpaksa dihentikan awal hari ini berikutan ombak besar, akan diteruskan di lokasi kapal kargo berkenaan
tenggelam sebaik keadaan cuaca mengizinkan.
Beliau berkata kapal nelayan, terutama yang ke laut dalam di Tanjung Manis, telah dimaklumkan mengenai kejadian itu dan diminta membantu usaha mencari dan menyelamat anak kapal yang masih hilang.
Katanya, APPM menerima laporan kecemasan daripada kapal terbabit yang berdepan masalah kebocoran pada Selasa malam, namun cuaca buruk dan ombak besar sehingga mencapai ketinggian 3.5 meter, menyebabkan usaha mencari dan menyelamat sukar.
Survivor nearly gave up hope to remain alive
SIBU: For two days, life for the 79-year-old retiree and part-time seafarer, Wong Kie Ket came to a standstill.
Wong, from Sibu, had thought that it would not be possible for him to see light of day again after the lifeboat drifted in the South China Sea aimlessly.
However, by a stroke of luck, the lifeboat which he together with nine other seafarers jam-packed for two days, eventually reached Kabong beach yesterday morning at about 7am.
“It was joy upon reaching the beach and though our lifeboat was still metres away from the beach, all of us jumped down and swam ashore,” he said when interviewed at the Sarikei Hospital where he was recuperating.
Wong was one of the 18 crew members of the cargo ship MV Soon Bee II that went missing around 8am on Tuesday following torrential rain and rough sea condition.
As at press time yesterday, eight other crew members were still reported missing.
The ship’s captain had sent a distress signal that the 56-metre long vessel had suffered a leak during its journey.
Recalling the incident, Wong said he was inside the cargo section when the boat suddenly capsized, apparently after suffering a leak through one of the ship’s compartments.
“One of the containers fell and hit my head before I realised that danger was lurking. Immediately, I swam towards the window patio as water sipped into the ship,” he said.
Once outside the sinking ship, Wong said he saw the lifeboat with four persons already inside.
He joined the group and stayed inside the lifeboat before another seafarer joined them.
After waiting for several minutes and making sure that nobody were left behind, the group began to paddle the lifeboat using only their bare hands.
“It was tough but none of us were showing any signs of despair. All of us have high hopes that we will survive and together we will prevail the mishap,” he recalled.
The group reached Tanjung Manis on Jan 12 before the water current pushed them to a beach in Kabong yesterday morning.
Wong said this was the second time that he encountered such a mishap in his life-long career as a seafarer.
The last time was in 1985 when he also miraculously escaped from a leaking ship. -borneopost
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