Catamaran tragedy victims to be warded another week

KOTA KINABALU: All 20 China tourists rescued in the capsized catamaran tragedy are expected to be warded at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital 1 (QEH1) for at least another week.
QEH1 Director Dr Heric Corray said the patients suffered from dehydration and hypothermia, while some suffered from first degree burns.
"All 20 patients (China tourists) were admitted (to the hospital) yesterday morning and they are all in different wards.
"But we are going to put them all in one ward so that they can get support from each other," he said when met by reporters after Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman visited the China tourists at the hospital here today.
When asked on the post mortem on three victims who died in the incident, Dr Corray said autopsy has been carried out on two of the bodies yesterday, but he has yet to receive a report from the forensic specialist concerned.
"We have not done the post mortem on the other body because we are waiting for approval from the deceased's family (to conduct post mortem)," he said.
The China tourists were rescued in the waters of Semarang, near Labuan, on Jan 29.
They were among 28 China tourists and three catamaran crew members bound to Pulau Mengalum, about 56km northwest of Kota Kinabalu, when the boat they were traveling in was hit by strong winds and huge waves an hour after it departed the Tanjung Aru jetty here at about 9am on Jan 28.
Two of the crew were also rescued in the waters of Semarang, while a search mission is ongoing to locate the rest.
The rescued crew members are currently under police custody to facilitate investigation into the incident. — Bernama