KOTA KINABALU: The skipper and a crew member of the sunken catamaran boat have been remanded to facilitate investigations into the boat tragedy.

The duo, aged 25 and 38, were detained at 1am, after they were brought to the district police headquarters yesterday to have their statements recorded.

Sabah police commissioner Datuk Ramli Din confirmed this today adding that both of them will be investigated under Section 304A of the Penal Code for causing death by negligence.

Ramli is scheduled to give a press conference at 5pm with regards to the boat tragedy.

On Saturday morning, 28 Chinese tourists and three crewmen boarded a catamaran boat at the village jetty in Tanjung Aru, headed for Pulau Mengalum.

The boat never reached its destination and a distress call was sent to the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) late that night.

Yesterday, the boatman and crew member were rescued near Pulau Tiga, about 50km south of Mengalum. They were brought to the police station after arriving at the Kota Kinabalu’s marine police base at 5pm.

At 6pm, 23 Chinese tourists were found by local fishermen in Semarang waters near Labuan. Three of them had died.

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