Sabah police commissioner Datuk Ramli Din told the New Straits Times Chinese tourist Li Qun, 33, had initially registered to travel on the boat along with his family, but cancelled at the last minute upon seeing that the boat was “packed to the brim”.
There were only 27 Chinese tourists aboard the catamaran which capsized and sank off Pulau Mengalum off Kota Kinabalu on Saturday, not 28 as previously reported.
Sabah police commissioner Datuk Ramli Din told the New Straits Times Chinese tourist Li Qun, 33, had initially registered to travel on the boat along with his family, but cancelled at the last minute upon seeing that the boat was “packed to the brim”.
“Hence, the total number of missing Chinese tourists is four, along with one Malaysian crew member,” Ramli told a press conference.
Asked if the Tanjung Aru jetty, which is the launch point for boats ferrying tourists to Pulau Mengalum, is operating legally, Ramli said police are still investigating the matter.
“We are looking at all angles pertaining to this case, and this includes not just the jetty, but the boat capacity and items on the boat,” he said.
Ramli said eight of the 20 surviving Chinese tourists are in a semi-critical condition, while 12 are reported to be stable.
The search for the missing passengers is continuing.