MALACCA: A 20-year-old student undergoing industrial training with a shipping company is feared to have fallen off a ship while on duty in the Straits of Malacca.
Muhammad Afizudin Aidzuhan’s absence was noticed by his colleagues at about 1pm yesterday, and he was last seen at 11.50pm on Sunday during surveillance duty on board the ‘Bunga Emas 6’.
According to Maritime Commander Azman Samsudin, deputy director for maritime operations (Melaka/ Negeri Sembilan) with the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA), the trainee had informed a colleague on duty that he was heading out for a short while to the trawler ‘Tag Nur Tiga’ to collect some things. Muhammad Afizudin had previously trained on the trawler for six months.
A report was lodged with the police and the MMEA on his disappearance, after which a search and rescue operation was launched at 5pm yesterday involving the MMEA, police, fire and rescue department and civil defence but at press time, Muhammad Afizudin had yet to be found.
Bad weather forced diving activities to be called off but surface search and rescue operations would continue until midnight, Azman said.
Muhammad Afizudin is a final year marine engineering diploma student from Kolej Ranaco in Kemaman, Terengganu. — Bernama
