SABAH, Malaysia
Twenty-five out of 31 boat passengers who went missing off the coast of Sabah in Malaysia late Saturday were recovered on Sunday, according to Malaysian maritime authority.
Three of the survivors later died aboard a police boat due to health complications, Sabah Police Commissioner Ramli Din told a press conference Sunday.
Din said the boat probably capsized due to strong winds and big waves on Saturday afternoon, an hour after it left the Tanjung Aru jetty in Sandakan, Sabah.
However, he said police were investigating whether there was an element of negligence.
In a press conference held earlier Sunday, Minister Shahidan Kassim said 23 of the 28 tourists and two out of three crew members had been rescued.
Survivors told authorities that their catamaran had sunk in deep waters, Kassim said.
Search for the remaining five passengers and a crew member continues.
Also, in a statement issued earlier on Sunday, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) confirmed that a report was lodged at 9.50 p.m. local time (0150GMT) on Saturday about the missing boat.
"The boat left from Tanjung Aru in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, for Pulau Mengalum at 9 a.m. [0100GMT] yesterday," the agency said.
"It was reported missing when it did not arrive even 12 hours later and a search-and-rescue operation was launched less than 30 minutes later," it said.
Two boats and a ship went out searching with the Royal Malaysian Air Force in a 400 square miles (1,036 square kilometers) earmarked area, it added.
