Hundreds of passengers trapped in ferry after it’s pushed off course by heavy rain
567 passengers were trapped onboard after a ferry ran aground on a sandbar about 0.5 nautical miles from Malaysia’s Kuala Perlis Ferry Terminal, on Monday (16 Sept).
Source: @solihin5431 on TikTok
The incident occurred 15 minutes after the ferry departed the terminal at 2.30pm.
According to Langkawi Ferry Line Ventures’ general manager, Dr Baharin Baharom, heavy rain and strong winds caused the ferry to veer off course onto the sandbar, reports Sinar Harian.
Three other ferries travelling from Kuala Kedah to Langkawi were also forced to turn back due to the storm.
Difficulty moving passengers due to low tide
All passengers were safe, but the company faced challenges moving them due to the large number of people and the low tide.
Source: Lily Oodin on Facebook
They had to wait for the tide to rise in order to transfer the passengers to another vessel.
Kuala Perlis Maritime Zone Director, Commander Mohd Hashim Mat Zain, said officers were dispatched to assist and monitor the situation at 5.30pm.
All passengers were in good condition
Eventually, the ferry was successfully towed by a tugboat when the tide came in, reports Bernama.
After being deemed safe, the ferry resumed its journey to Langkawi at 9.05pm.
All passengers were determined to be in good condition.
“No one experienced any shortness of breath. We even gave food and drinks to the passengers,” said Dr Baharin.
He also mentioned that all passengers affected by the storm were refunded, and some rescheduled their trips.
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Featured image adapted from Lily Oodin on Facebook, Amran Bin Raman on Facebook
