Search for couple from China missing in Malaysia’s Sabah enters second day
The couple have been missing after they failed to check out at a resort on one of the Mantanani Islands
Malaysian paramilitary police and drones have joined the search for a Chinese couple who have been missing for over 48 hours at a popular dive island in Sabah.
Yu Xiaopeng, 25, and his girlfriend Fan Qin, 28, checked into the Sutera Mantanani Resort on Saturday and were scheduled to check out the following day. But the couple failed to reappear, leaving their belongings in the room.
Kota Belud District Police Chief Superintendent Shahrudin Mat Husain said the resort’s security team only noticed their absence after their checkout time and contacted the police on Sunday night.
“However, they have not been seen since, and a search and rescue operation has been ongoing since Sunday,” Shahrudin told local newspaper Daily Express.
“So far, the victims have not been located.”
Over 50 rescuers, including those from the police’s drone unit, as well as their paramilitary unit, have been mobilised as part of a search and rescue mission on and around Mantanani Besar Island.
The island, where the resort is located, is the largest of the Mantanani Islands cluster, covering an area of around 1.881 sq km (0.73 square mile). It is a popular dive site located about 30km (18 miles) northwest of the coast of Sabah in the South China Sea.