ALOR STAR: A local fishing vessel crewman is feared drowned after he leapt into the sea in his haste to flee from the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency's patrol team near Kuala Kedah yesterday evening.
Kuala Kedah Maritime Zone director Maritime Commander Noor Azreyanti Ishak said the 9.50pm incident unfolded when the MMEA's Kuala Perlis Zone spotted the vessel.
"The patrol which was on Op Aman and Ops Tiris 3.0 duty approached the vessel, but the skipper suddenly sped (the vessel away) from the scene.
"When the patrol team caught up with the vessel about 4.1 nautical miles from Kuala Kedah waters, suddenly one of the crew members jumped into the water.
"The Search and Rescue operation has been activated with the assistance of the Fire and Rescue Department, Civil Defence Force and several local fishing vessels," she said in a statement.