BEIJING (Sputnik) — The boat with 28 Chinese tourists and three crew members aboard has lost contact with local maritime authorities, South China Morning Post reported citing the country's consulate general in the provincial capital of Sabah.
According to the newspaper, the efforts to find the vessel and to rescue people started at 9:50 p.m. local time (13:50 GMT).
The media outlet added that the search area covers 400 square nautical miles, while the Royal Malaysian Air Force will also be involved in the search operations.