BUTTERWORTH: The wife of S. Arumugam, who died in the boat capsize incident off Pulau Perhentian on Saturday (June 28), claimed that the boat driver had refused to provide life jackets despite repeated requests.

S. Sanggetha, 39, who also lost her youngest child, three-year-old Sarrvhika, said at the time of the incident, the boat was carrying four families, comprising seven adults and eight children.

They were returning from Pulau Perhentian Kecil to their accommodation at Pulau Perhentian Besar after dinner around 9pm when tragedy struck.

She said it was about to rain, prompting the group to decide on returning to the resort earlier, as they all had young children.

“When we got on the boat, we asked the boat driver for life jackets, but he said they were wet and couldn’t be given out. Besides, he said the journey would only take between 10 to 15mins.

“Soon after, my husband and three other couples asked for the life jackets again, but the driver still refused, claiming we were already halfway and close to the resort. By then, the rain had started pouring heavily like a storm,” she said when met by reporters at her home in Taman Bayu Indah here on Monday (June 30).

Sanggetha said the worsening weather caused the boat to sway before it was struck by waves and capsized.

In the chaos, she said she held tightly to her eldest daughter, nine-year-old Hirsshika, while her husband, who was holding their youngest, and other family members disappeared into the darkness.

“I didn’t know whether my child was still alive. I can’t swim. I just held on to her tightly until I heard a man shouting from a parked boat. He reached out and pulled me and my daughter to safety,” she said, holding back tears.

She added that she saw many people gathering to help rescue the other victims and believed at the time that her husband and youngest daughter had also been saved.

However, after contacting one of her husband’s close friends, she was devastated to learn that both her husband and youngest daughter had died, along with another 10-year-old girl.

“We left for the trip on Friday and were supposed to return Sunday morning. Everyone in the group were close friends of my husband since school.

“It was our first time visiting the island to celebrate their 40th birthday. They were all so happy and we never imagined it would end this way,” she said, adding that she was still traumatised and had yet to decide on the next course of action.

Earlier, Sanggetha received a visit from Penang Housing and Environment Committee chairman, Datuk Seri S. Sundarajoo, who came to pay his last respects to the deceased.

The remains of Arumugam, who was a senior engineer at a private company, and his daughter were cremated at the Indian Cemetery in Jalan Siram on Monday.

Meanwhile, Sundarajoo expressed his condolences to the victims’ families and called for stern action to be taken against the boat operator to prevent a recurrence.

“This is a heartbreaking tragedy that could have been avoided if safety measures had been taken. I hope the government takes action, and if any regulations are found to be violated, their license should be revoked,” he said.

In the incident, S. Arumugam, 40, Sarrvhika, and another girl, V. Vennpani, 10, died. Two others are still hospitalised, including one in critical condition, while ten others survived.- Bernama