Malaysia Resumes Search For Missing Turkish Sailor After Yacht Sinks

PUTRAJAYA, Aug 9 (Bernama) -- The search for a missing Turkish crew member of the sailing yacht Daisy, lost in waters off Pulau Yu, Terengganu, has resumed following an official request from the Turkish Embassy through the Foreign Ministry yesterday.

Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) director-general Admiral Datuk Mohd Rosli Abdullah said the missing crewman, Eser Demirkol, was one of three on board when the yacht sank on July 31. The other two crew members have since been found.

He said the latest operation will focus on the area between the suspected sinking location and where the second crew member was found, using MMEA sea and air assets to maximise search coverage.

Earlier, a seven-day search-and-rescue (SAR) operation covering 457.61 nautical square miles involved MMEA sea and air assets, divers from the Special Task and Rescue (STAR) team, and a remotely operated vehicle (ROV). It was called off last Wednesday after no new leads were found.

The public, especially the maritime community, are urged to contact the 999-emergency line or the Putrajaya Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) at 03-8941 3140, which operates 24 hours, if they have any information on the missing man.

Media reports earlier said the three Turkish nationals comprising yacht captain Ahmet Volkan Ata, 52, Ates Demiroren, 42, and Demirkol, 52, had planned to sail from Malaysia to their homeland on July 28 as part of a round-the-continent voyage.

On the afternoon of July 29, the yacht was caught in a storm and believed to have sunk near Pulau Yu. Demiroren was rescued by local fishermen while adrift at sea, while Ata was found safe nearly 43 hours later by another fishing boat.

-- BERNAMA