MERSING: Eight fishermen were rescued by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) after their boat sank near the shore between Pulau Seri Buat and Pulau Tasu, here.

       Johor MMEA director First Admiral Nurul Hizam Zakaria (pic) said the agency received information on the incident at about 9.35pm on Saturday (Feb 19) from one of the victims.

       “All of the victims, who were wearing life jackets, managed to hold onto their partially sunken boat while waiting for the rescue team to arrive.

       “The search and rescue operation involving the marine police and local fishing community was deployed at 9.50pm,” he said in a statement here on Sunday (Feb 20).

       “Investigations revealed that the boat exhaust had burst, causing seawater to flow into the boat,” he said, adding that all of the victims were unharmed.