Chinese tourist Fan Li Xia and other passengers held on to the body of a dead friend for as long as they could as they trod water after a catamaran capsized in the cold waters of the South China Sea.
The catamaran, carrying 27 Chinese tourists and three crew on a Lunar New Year cruise, sank on Saturday off the coast of Borneo after being battered by heavy waves while en route to the popular Malaysian holiday island of Mengalum.
Three of the tourists were found dead on Sunday, while 22 people, including the captain, were rescued, many of them bleeding and heavily sunburnt.
Four tourists and one crew member were missing.
Fan Li Xia said the group, tied together on the catamaran in life jackets, were swept away by the current and struggled in the cold water for more than 30 hours.
"If we were found any later, I don't think I would have survived," she told reporters at a hospital in Kota Kinabalu, capital of Malaysia’s Sabah state on Borneo.
"My friend died. We dragged his body around for half a day, but we couldn't manage any more so we had to let it go."
The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency said the tourists were rescued by fishermen and tugboats. Military ships and aircraft were scouring the choppy waters for the missing five.
Fellow survivor Yang Yaoru said their collective will helped them endure the cold. They were sharing the little food they had and urging each other to stay alive.
Yang, who was on holiday with her mother, said the survivors huddled together to try to shake off the cold and did not loosen their grip.
Yang said she was especially concerned about her mother, who was not a good swimmer.
"If I had died, my mother couldn't have survived by herself...I must bring my mother home," the 24-year-old Yang told Chinese broadcaster CCTV from her hospital bed.
Thousands of Chinese visitors flock to Mengalum island during the long Lunar New Year holidays. China is one of Malaysia's main sources of tourists.
Ties between the two countries were strained in 2014 when Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 went missing on its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Most of its passengers were from China.
The search for the airliner ended this month without success.
Boating accidents involving tourists are common off Sabah. Media reports said police arrested the owner of the catamaran and two crew and were investigating.
Reuters
Tue Jan 31 2017
The catamaran sank on Saturday off the coast of Borneo after being battered by heavy waves while en route to the popular Malaysian holiday island of Mengalum. - Filepic
Kontroversi UM: Sarjana ‘berkualiti rendah’ tak patut dijemput - PM Anwar
Anwar menyindir ahli akademik AS yang terbabit dalam kontroversi pro-Israel sebagai sarjana berkualiti rendah dan tidak mempunyai pencapaian luar biasa atau istimewa.
Agong, Raja Permaisuri zahir ucapan Ulang Tahun Keputeraan kepada Sultan Terengganu
Ucapan itu dizahirkan Seri Paduka Baginda berdua menerusi poster yang dimuat naik di Facebook Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar hari ini.
Ada wajah kita tak mahu berpisah, tapi terpaksa melepaskannya - Datuk Red
Menerusi perkongsian itu, Adnan mengatakan ada perkara yang dia terpaksa reda dan menerima takdir yang sudah tertulis untuknya.
Komen jelik nahas helikopter Lumut, peniaga didenda RM23,000
Seorang peniaga dalam talian didenda RM23,000 di Mahkamah Sesyen di sini, selepas mengaku bersalah atas tuduhan memuat naik komen jelik berhubung nahas helikopter TLDM.
Bursa Malaysia dibuka rendah, jejaki prestasi Wall Street
Pada 9.10 pagi, FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) susut 2.29 mata kepada 1,566.96 daripada 1,569.25 ketika ditutup pada Khamis.
AWANI Ringkas: Pesawat ringan mendarat cemas di Subang
Ikuti rangkuman berita utama yang menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari di Astro AWANI menerusi AWANI Ringkas.
Cambodia Airways mulakan penerbangan terus Phnom Penh-Kuala Lumpur
Syarikat penerbangan Kemboja, Cambodia Airways, secara rasmi memulakan penerbangan terus dari ibu negaranya, Phnom Penh ke KLIA pada Khamis.
Semangat baharu bina ekosistem inovasi lebih dinamik
Perbadanan Pembangunan Teknologi Malaysia, MTDC meneruskan kesinambungan dalam memacu pembangunan teknologi negara, dengan melancarkan Citra MTDC, untuk mewujudkan ekosistem inovasi yang lebih dinamik.
Polis tahan guru disyaki liwat tiga pelajar
Tiga pelajar tahfiz dipercayai menjadi mangsa seks luar tabii apabila didakwa diliwat seorang guru agama dari pusat tahfiz berkenaan sejak dua tahun lalu.
Rumah Terbuka Aidilfitri Selangor di KKB langgar Akta - Bersih
Penganjuran Rumah Terbuka Aidilfitri Peringkat Negeri Selangor yang akan dianjurkan di Pekan Kuala Kubu Bharu Sabtu ini, boleh bercanggah dengan banyak peruntukan dalam Akta Kesalahan Pilihan Raya 1954 (AKPR).