Boat with 28 Chinese tourists goes missing off Malaysia

By P Prem Kumar

SABAH, Malaysia (AA) - A boat carrying some 28 Chinese tourists and three crew members went missing off the coast of Sabah in Malaysia, according to Malaysian maritime authority.

The boat has been missing for the past 18 hours and has not been found despite a massive search involving marine police and air force assets.

In a statement on Sunday, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) confirmed that a report was lodged at 9.50 p.m. local time (0150GMT) on Saturday.

"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," said the agency.

Two boats and a ship are out searching with the Royal Malaysian Air Force in a 400 square miles (1,036 square kilometers) earmarked area, the agency added.