Witnesses Claim That 3 Divers Were Killed By Fish Bomb Explosion In Sabah
However, police reported that there were no sounds of an explosion in the area.
By Timothy Tuan — 06 Jul 2019, 12:54 PM
Yesterday, on 5 July, a local divemaster and two foreigners were found dead while scuba diving in Sabah
The victims were Chinese tourists Zhao Zheng, Xu Yingjie, and 31-year-old divemaster Zainal Abdun.
According to Sabah police commissioner Datuk Omar Mammah, the divers were diving near Kulapuan island in Kota Kinabalu as reported by NST Online.
Tourism operators and witnesses are claiming that the underlying cause of deaths is due to the explosion from the fish bomb planted by sea gipsies
According to The Star Online, witnesses reported that at the time of the incident, fishing boats were around the area where the three divers were found dead.
However, the police commissioner revealed that there were no sounds of an explosion in the area and urged the public to refrain from making any speculations about the incident.
"The boatman who brought in the victims has lodged a police report. We are in the process of taking his statement," Omar said adding that the police are still investigating the cause of death.
According to Zainal's uncle, the divers were found five metres below the water surface
The victim's uncle, Ray was only informed of the incident at 3.30pm as reported by NST Online.
"I was shocked. The last I spoke with Zainal was at 2.15pm today, when he returned my call. I was asking about a car key, which he was holding," he said adding that they did not speak much as he was leaving for a dive with the Chinese tourists.
"I saw their bodies (when they were brought in). The bodies were in perfect condition but there was blood coming from inside (the body)," the uncle said.
According to Ray, after realising that the victims were not out yet, a group of divemasters went out looking for them for more than an hour.
As of 8.30pm yesterday, the victim's families have yet to make a police report about the incident as they were waiting for the bodies to be taken to Semporna Hospital.
Sabah Association of Tour and Travel Agents (SATTA) president Datuk Winston Liaw urged the public to refrain from diving in areas where fishing boats are in operation
He also asked for divers not to dive close to any boat propellers as they are dangerous.
Datuk Winston sought for the authorities to take immediate action against fishing boat operators that plant fish bombs in the sea, reprimanding that such offenders should be brought to justice.
"Take action that will serve as a lesson to all. Otherwise, they will keep on doing the same thing," the president said according to The Star Online.
Meanwhile, China's Deputy Consul General in Kota Kinabalu, Zhang He confirmed that the two foreigners were Chinese Nationals.