Perhentian Survivor Who Lost Hubby & Daughter Says Boatman Ignored Their Requests For Life Jackets
Sanggetha was holding her 9-year-old daughter while her husband was clutching their youngest child when disaster struck.
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"We kept asking for life jackets because it looked like it was going to rain, and there were many children on board," said A Sanggetha, 39, who lost her husband and their 3-year-old daughter when their boat capsized off Pulau Perhentian on Saturday night, 28 June
"But the boatman told us the jackets were wet and assured us it would be a short trip," she added, speaking to reporters at her home in Taman Bayu Aman, Butterworth, Penang.
According to the New Straits Times, Sanggetha recounted that they had gone to Pulau Perhentian Kecil for dinner with her husband's childhood friends and their families — a group of 15 from four families — before boarding a boat around 9pm to return to their resort on Pulau Perhentian Besar.
"The weather looked threatening, and we were worried for the kids. My husband and his friends asked for life jackets, but the boatman reassured us it was only a 10 to 15-minute ride," she said.
However, midway through the trip, the weather worsened.
"It started pouring heavily. It was pitch black, the sea turned rough and the boat began to rock violently," she recalled.
Sanggetha was holding her 9-year-old daughter, while her husband, S Arumugam, 40, was clutching their youngest child when disaster struck
A large wave overturned the boat about 20m away from Pulau Perhentian Besar.
"I grabbed my eldest child's hand and tried to escape the overturned boat. Thankfully, a man nearby rescued us.
"Everything happened so fast. The sea was rough and I could not feel the seabed. I do not know how to swim, but I tried to stay afloat," she said.
It wasn't until much later, after she and her eldest daughter received treatment at a clinic and had access to a phone, that she learned her husband and youngest daughter did not survive.
Now, she's left grappling with the unimaginable loss
Sanggetha said she was still trying to process everything and hopes no one else will ever have to go through what she did.
She added that she has not decided whether to take legal action against the boat operator.
"My priority is my surviving child. I must be strong," Sanggetha said.
This was the family's first trip to Pulau Perhentian, planned to celebrate her husband and his friends turning 40.
"We were all so happy. They are his school friends. I never imagined it would end this way," she said.
