Maritime officers scan the waters for the Indonesian man at Tanjung Sirik, near Pulau Bruit on Dec 21, 2023.

DARO, Dec 21: A 39-year-old Indonesian man is feared to have drowned after failing to resurface following his attempt to remove a rope which had gotten tangled in the propeller of a ship in Tanjung Sirik, north of Pulau Bruit today.

The Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) Sarawak said the ship’s captain immediately reported the incident to the Civil Defence Force (APMM) Centre Kuching.

Bomba Sarawak received a distress call at 8.26am and swiftly dispatched a team of firefighters from Daro Station to participate in the search and rescue (SAR) operation.

It was reported that the incident happened about 35km north of Pulau Bruit.

The SAR team, including personnel from APMM, Bomba, Maritime, and police from Daro Station, worked collaboratively in the operation.

Despite deploying three maritime assets for a thorough search in the waters, the victim remains unaccounted for as of 6pm.

The SAR operation has been postponed and is scheduled to resume tomorrow (Dec 22). — DayakDaily