TWO men aged between 45 and 60 were reported missing after the boat they were in capsized yesterday in a remote corner of the Bakun hydroelectric dam reservoir in Belaga.

Two other men managed to swim to safety to raise the alarm.

They were reported unhurt.

The Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department operations centre in Kuching said its Bintulu station had received a request for search-and-rescue assistance from Belaga police at 4pm yesterday but by the time their four-man SAR team reached Belaga at 7pm, it was too dark to mount an operation.

It would also have taken the team another eight hours of travel on the Rajang River to reach the dam reservoir.

The department said according to initial reports from SAR operations commander and Bintulu station chief, Mohamad Meramit, the four men were on a fishing trip in a boat powered by a 60hp outboard engine.

They had departed from the Bakun dam jetty for a fishing spot at Ulu Balui Bato Keling some two-and-a-half hours away.

The department said it was unclear what caused the boat to capsize in fair weather and if the mishap had taken place in the dam reservoir or in one of the rivers that feeds into the reservoir.

One of the survivors said the water current at the site of the mishap was “swift”.

The department said communicating with the SAR team was also difficult due to poor communication coverage. – May 12, 2019.