Boat Crewman Dies, Three Injured After Squid-Jigging Boat Sinks Off Kuala Nerus

KUALA LUMPUR, JULY 2026 — A squid-jigging trip turned tragic after a boat carrying participants sank about nine nautical miles from Dataran Kuala Nerus, leaving one crew member dead, three participants injured and eight others rescued.

The incident reportedly happened at around 9pm on Friday night, while the group was out at sea for a squid-jigging activity.

Kuala Terengganu District Police Chief ACP Azli Mohd Noor said the deceased was identified as Ahmad Nasaruddin Mohmad Jalil, 37, who was a crew member of the boat.

The three injured victims were identified as squid-jigging participants Faris Ibrahim, 33; Ahmad Danial Iman, 24; and Fatin Fariesya Rohaizan, 26.

According to police, the boat skipper, Mohd Awais Sa’ari, 39, and seven other squid-jigging participants survived the incident.

All victims were brought to Jeti Tok Batin in Kuala Nerus at about 10pm, before the body of the deceased was taken to Hospital Sultan Zainal Abidin for further action.

The injured victims were sent to Hospital Sultanah Nur Zahirah to receive medical treatment.

Authorities have yet to confirm the exact cause of the sinking, with further investigations now being carried out.

Mohd Awais, who is also the cousin of the deceased, said the incident happened suddenly shortly after he had finished performing Maghrib prayers.

He said the sea was rough at the time, although there was no storm.

Before the incident, Mohd Awais said the boat was in good condition and had been used almost daily for several months to bring customers for squid-jigging trips.

He said the first sign of trouble came when he saw a large amount of water entering the engine area.

Mohd Awais said he tried to act quickly by asking Ahmad Nasaruddin to cut the anchor rope while he attempted to move the boat to seek help from another vessel.

However, the boat reportedly sank very quickly before they could do much to save it.

Before the boat went down, Mohd Awais managed to advise all 10 participants, who were from Kuala Lumpur, not to panic and to tighten their life jackets.

The group included two women who were joining a squid-jigging activity for the first time.

Mohd Awais said that after the boat sank, he saw Ahmad Nasaruddin in a weak condition and told him to hold on to his back because he knew his cousin could not swim.

He said he tried to speak to Ahmad Nasaruddin, but the victim appeared to panic before becoming weaker.

According to Mohd Awais, he later checked the victim’s pulse and realised that Ahmad Nasaruddin had died.

He then asked the participants to hold on to the deceased while he swam about one mile to seek help from another boat.

The survivors were reportedly floating at sea for about 30 to 40 minutes before help arrived.

The incident has raised concern over safety precautions during recreational marine activities, especially squid-jigging trips that are popular in Terengganu during certain seasons.

While squid-jigging is a common sea activity involving both locals and tourists, this tragedy highlights the importance of vessel safety checks, weather monitoring, emergency response readiness and proper use of life jackets.

The case is now under police investigation to determine what caused the boat to take in water and sink so quickly.