

This picture of a large crowd boarding the ill-fated boat was taken an hour before the boat left Tanjong Giam Bungan.Villagers getting ready to locate the 23 missing passengers of the capsized boat.The capsized boat submerged in the river
The search and rescue (SAR) operation for survivors of the ill fated express boat that sank this morning in the Rajang River near Belaga, will resume at first daylight tomorrow, said Sarawak Police Commissioner Datuk Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani.
As of 9.30pm tonight police confirmed there were 181 survivors while another 23 passengers were believed to be still missing in the accident after the overloaded vessel crashed into a rock and sank at the Jeram Tukok/Jeram Bungan, about four hours journey upriver from Sibu.
"The SAR operation, involving police personnel and other relevant agencies, was halted at 6pm due to darkness," he told Bernama here.
Based on initial findings, he said, police believed the express boat was overloaded with more than 200 passengers, who were returning for the Gawai Dayak festivities.
The identities of those still missing were sketchy because there were no official figures of passengers on board as the express boat operator was believed to have not kept a manifest, he said.
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