ILI SHAZWANI
KUALA KEDAH: The body of a fisherman, who went missing after the fishing boat he was on capsized five days ago, was found today.
The victim, Somchok Sutprasoet, 30, was found by a fishing boat at 56 nautical miles from Kuala Kedah.
A Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) Northern Region spokesperson said the victim’s body is expected to arrive at Kuala Kedah jetty late this evening to be identified by family members.
Somchok together with his brother Ekkachai Sutprasoet, 33, and two others, Anukun Matuwet, 58, and Phaisan Dalem, 45, were said to be fishing when their boat was hit by a large shipping vessel at 32 nautical miles west of the Kuala Muda estuary on May 9. When the incident occurred, it was raining heavily and the sea was rough. The fishermen, all Thais, were said to be landing their catch at about 3am.
It was reported that 30 minutes after they were hit by a large vessel heading north, their boat sank and the fishermen were adrift at sea until they were rescued by a passing fishing boat at 8am.
The boat’s captain, Anukun, and one of the crews, Phaisan, were found close to one another while the victim’s brother, Ekkachai, was not far from them.
However, they failed to locate Somchok.