Kemaman: The search and rescue (SAR) operation for two fishermen feared missing after their boat sank in Kemaman waters on Wednesday continued today, with the search area covering 117.30 square nautical miles.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Kemaman Maritime Zone director Abdul Halim Hamzah stated that the operation, now in its fifth day, involved 34 people from the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA), the marine police, and local fishermen.

He detailed the assets deployed for the mission, which include the MMEA vessel KM Redang with 19 personnel, a PLC 3 marine police boat with eight personnel, and a local fishing boat with seven fishermen.

"As of 6 pm today, the search teams have not found any new clues regarding the two victims, boat skipper Azan Muda, 68, and Nordin Mohammad, 61," he said in a statement today.

The SAR operation for the two fishermen was suspended for the day and is scheduled to resume tomorrow morning.

The incident occurred on Wednesday, when a fishing boat carrying Azan, Nordin, and Mahadi Jusoh, 51, sank during a storm at 12.30 am. Mahadi was subsequently rescued by other fishermen at 10.30 am on Thursday.