KOTA KINABALU: A search and rescue operation has been launched for a senior citizen believed to have been missing for at least 72 hours.

       It is learnt that the search is being concentrated on the forest at Kg Tikolod in Sabah's interior Tambunan district.

       A spokesman for the Fire and Rescue Services Department said Sunday (March 20) that it only received a distress call from family members at 8.20pm the previous day to say that the 63-year-old woman had been missing for nearly two days.

       He said the woman, identified as Bibia Angkangon, had gone to forage in the jungle at about 11am on Thursday (March 17).

       The family only realised she was missing late Saturday.

       The spokesman added that a search and rescue team including a tracker dog was deployed early Sunday to search for the woman.

       In an unrelated case, rescue workers were also searching for a crewman of a fishing trawler who is believed to have fallen into the sea while the vessel was docked at the Ko-Nelayan jetty in northern Kudat.

       The spokesman said the missing crewman, identified only as "Jayson", was believed to have fallen into the sea at around 3pm Saturday.

       His shipmates only realised he was missing after searching through the trawler, and informed firemen at 8.20pm.

       Firemen began immediate surface rescue operations but had yet to locate the victim as of 3pm Sunday.