LABUAN: Seventeen passengers heading to Labuan were stranded off Daat Island for almost an hour on Wednesday afternoon when the speedboat they were in began to drift after being hit by a huge wave.
A few of the passengers panicked and wanted to jump into the sea, but were calmed down by fellow passengers.
“I and the other passengers were heading to Labuan at about 1 pm by speedboat from the Menumbok jetty when the boat experienced engine failure midway. The sea was rough and the boat was hit by a huge wave and drifted off Daat Island,” a passenger told Bernama when contacted.
Another passenger said: “It felt like the worst car wreck you could imagine. We bounced and skidded to a halt, and we found that we were stranded on Daat Island.
“All of us, who were soaked to the skin, had no choice but to wait on the island with our bags and belongings.
“We were rescued and taken to Labuan in two speedboats after an hour on the island,” he said.
The speedboat is the traditional and fastest sea transport for travellers from Labuan to the Sabah mainland and vice versa, taking only about 25 minutes.
Government servants living in Menumbok or Kuala Penyu and working in Labuan take the speedboat daily to and from work. – Bernama
