Lingga: A man is feared drowned after a boat carrying nine people capsized in the Banting River near Rh Charang in Lingga, about 236 km from Kuching, this afternoon after it suffered engine failure and crashed into a bridge pillar. A spokesman for the Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) Operations Centre said the victim, identified as Gerald Lansam, 42, was swept away by the strong current, while the other eight occupants were rescued by villagers using boats.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the victim was reported to have clung to a bridge pillar following the incident before he was seen sinking and being swept away by the current as villagers attempted to reach him to provide assistance. The department received an emergency call on the incident at 1.15 pm, following which a team of six personnel from the Sri Aman Fire and Rescue Station was dispatched to the scene.

Upon arriving at the location at 2.45 pm, firefighters were informed that the boat had drifted after experiencing engine trouble before colliding with a bridge pillar. The collision caused the front section of the boat to break apart before the vessel overturned in the fast-flowing river. A search and rescue operation is currently being carried out, with firefighters and villagers conducting surface searches by boat in the area where the victim was last seen.