KOTA TINGGI: Search and rescue efforts are underway for a 15-year-old boy who went missing after jumping into Sungai Johor in Teluk Sengat yesterday to retrieve a drifting boat when its mooring line snapped.
The boy and two friends were fishing when heavy rain forced them to seek shelter by tying their boat to a Tenaga Nasional Bhd substation pole. However, the mooring line broke, causing the boat to drift away.
All three jumped into the river to retrieve it. While his friends managed to swim to safety, the teenager disappeared.
District police chief Superintendent Yusof Othman said police were deployed to the scene and a command post was established.
The boy is believed to have gone missing around 2.30pm, but up to 11pm yesterday, search efforts had been unsuccessful.
Yusof said the operation on the first night was suspended for safety reasons at 11pm and resumed the next morning at 7.30am.
He said the operation involved 43 personnel from the Kota Tinggi police headquarters, marine police, Fire and Rescue Department, Civil Defence Force and the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency.
Yusof also said search efforts were ongoing for a fisherman missing after his boat capsized in Sungai Kampung Sayang in Kuala Sedili.
"We have two missing persons in the river reported yesterday. Please exercise caution and prioritise safety when visiting rivers and coastal areas, especially during the northeast monsoon season. Those in the water should always wear life jackets," he said.