The woman (front) managed to swim to safety after the boat capsized.
TENOM: A 50-year-old passenger and a 10-year-old child were reported missing after a sampan capsized at Kampung Kalandos in the Tenom interior district yesterday.
It was learned the victims were returning home after shopping in town when the boat was hit by strong current when crossing Sungai Padas about 4pm.
A Fire and Rescue Department spokesman said the victims were carried away by the current but the other two passengers, a woman and an elderly man, managed to swim to the riverbank.
“The boat suddenly flipped over when it was near the shore,” said the spokesman.
The department received a distress call at 4.13pm but had to take an hour to reach the remote location by train.