News : Eight crew missing 5 days after Thai vessel sinks off Borneo

KUALA LUMPUR (AP): Malaysian and Brunei maritime agencies searched Monday for eight missing crew of a Thai cargo vessel that sank in waters off Borneo island five days earlier, officials said.

The MV Emerald, carrying logs from Kota Kinabalu, the capital of Malaysia's Sabah state, to Bangkok, was believed to have sunk Dec. 26 due to engine failure, said a spokesman with Malaysia's Maritime Enforcement Agency.

The crew on board was comprised of eight Thais and five Myanmar nationals, he said on condition of anonymity citing protocol.

Brunei maritime authorities rescued two Thai crew, before seeking help from Malaysian counterparts to jointly mount a search and rescue operation, the spokesman said.

Three more crew were plucked from the waters Sunday in weak condition but four Thais and four Myanmar nationals remain missing, he told The Associated Press.

The operation, which has been hampered by strong winds and high waves, will continue until the eight men are found, he said. No other details were immediately available.

Malaysia's Sabah and Sarawak states share Borneo island with oil-rich Brunei and Indonesia's Kalimantan province.
- Jakarta Post Januari 01, 2008 -