Three Chinese Tourists Dead, in Borneo shipwreck

Twenty Chinese nationals and two crew members were rescued on Sunday, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency director-general Ahmad Puzi Ab Kahar said in a statement, correcting an earlier announcement that rescuers had found 23 Chinese nationals alive.

News ID: 71972

Date: 30 January 2017 - 09:35

According to MANA, the boat was 'broken' after being hit by strong waves, and sank. All the tourists were tied together and were carried away by the currents," he said.

"The weather conditions were quite bad with very high waves, which raises the question as to whether the boat should have gone out to sea," said Malaysia's national security minister Shahidan Kassim, who was present at the news conference.

Chinese President Xi Jinping called on his country's government departments to step up cooperation with their Malaysian counterparts on rescue efforts, official state news agency Xinhua reported.