Tragic incident: A photo of the overturned boat taken by Liwan.
BELAGA: An express boat, said to be overloaded with more than 100 passengers returning to their villages for the Gawai festival, capsized in the Rajang River at about 9am on Tuesday near Belaga town.
The boat was travelling from Bakun to Kapit and Sibu.
Belaga assemblyman Liwan Lagang had spotted the overturned vessel and people swimming away from it towards the riverbank when he was flying by helicopter to Kuching.
On dry land: Some of the survivors who swam ashore looking out at the overturned vessel.
He immediately landed at Uma Tevok Long Buyun where he met the survivors and organised a rescue.
He said it was not immediately known if there were any fatalities and what had caused the boat to capsize.
"We haven't done a head count.
"But according to those who swam to safety, there are people trapped in the boat," Liwan said when contacted.
Meanwhile, BERNAMA reported Kapit district councillor Daniel Levoh saying that the boat was believed to have carried more than 100 passengers, although its official load capacity was for 67 seated passengers.
"The boat was supposed to have made the normal transit stop at Belaga but it did not do so as it was already packed.
"Many passengers were seen sitting on its roof which is not allowed.
"There were more passengers waiting for it at the Belaga wharf so that was why it only stopped in midriver to allow crew members to buy food for the journey to Kapit and Sibu," he said.
Daniel said he had received information that a pregnant woman was the only casualty in the incident but this had yet to be verified by the police, who were still at the scene.
Source - Credit to The Star
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2013/5/28/nation/20130528131920&sec=nation
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