KUALA LUMPUR – The Royal Malaysian Navy’s KD Jerai came to the aid of a local fishing boat which caught fire in waters off Pulau Sembilan, near Seri Manjong, Perak at 11am yesterday.
According to a statement from RMN’s Armada headquarters, a Beech Craft BT2000 aircraft belonging to the Royal Malaysian Air Force spotted the vessel in distress and radioed for help.
“The KD Jerai, a mine-destroyer which was on routine patrol in the area, was despatched to scene to render help. On arrival, the boat was engulfed in smoke. The five crew members on board had been rescued by another fishing vessel which was nearby,” the statement said, adding also that the firefighting team on board the KD Jerai put out the flames within 10 minutes.
The statement said further that the fire was believed to have been caused by a short circuit in the boat’s starter system and that after the fire was extinguished, the badly damaged boat was towed to the fishing jetty at Hutan Melintang.
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