Fishermen survive 14 hours at sea

Fishermen survive 14 hours at sea

MALAYSIA: Two Indonesian fishermen survived for fourteen hours in
the Strait of Malacca by clinging to pieces of their boat after
it collided with a container ship, reports said on Wednesday.

Neim Ahmad, 53, and his son Nur Rizan, 30, both residing in
Malaysia, were plucked out of the waters off the coast of western
Malacca state by a cargo ship on Monday after tears and fervent
prayers.

"It was God's grace that kept us alive," Neim was quoted as
saying by the Star daily. "It was difficult keeping afloat by
holding on to a piece of wood.

"(We) had even taken off our t-shirts so that we would not be
dragged down by the weight.

"Never in our lives have we prayed with tears streaming down
our cheeks. But I kept telling my son to hold on and keep
thinking of being rescued," he said, adding they had also feared
shark attacks.

The two men were fishing five nautical miles off the coast on
Sunday night when they saw they were on collision course with the
container ship.

"I shouted to my son to watch out as the ship slammed into the
boat, which then split in two," Neim was quoted as saying in the
New Straits Times. "When in the water we clung to the wood from
the boat and shouted for help, but the crew did not seem to hear
our cries as the ship never stopped." --AFP