Tourist boat with 31 people on board goes missing in Malaysia

Search and rescue operatives are now on the look out after a boat carrying 31 people, including at least 28 Chinese tourists, went missing off the Malaysian coast.

According to Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, the boat lost contact after departing the eastern state of Sabah on Saturday with search and rescue efforts being hampered by bad weather.

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The agency said it received a distress call from the boat but contact was lost soon after the boat departed the eastern state of Sabah on Saturday.

“I, like all the relatives of those on board, am hoping for progress in the search and rescue operation,” the tourism minister for Sabah state, Masidi Manun said.

The incident coincides with the first day of China’s week-long Lunar New Year celebration, which is also marked by ethnic Chinese in Malaysia.

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