Sunken vessel ‘rises’ as water level at Pahang River falls

PEKAN — The dwindling water level at the Pahang River in Malaysia has uncovered what is claimed to be a British merchant vessel that had sunk under mysterious circumstances 100 years ago.

Villagers of Kampung Tanjung in Paloh Hinaim, a small town in Pahang, Malaysia, noticed the emergence of the vessel over the past month as the river’s water level fell due to dry weather brought on by the El Nino phenomenon.

“The story of the shipwreck is popular among the villages, having been handed down by word of mouth from generation to generation,” said Kampung Paloh Hinau Development and Security Committee chairman Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman.

“It is said that the vessel sank due to the arrogant attitude of the captain and after the ‘spirits’ were disturbed,” he told reporters.

Mr Abdul Rashid said it was only recently that the villagers approached the vessel to take photographs as they had been frightened by the stories narrated over time.

The vessel had a funnel, anchor rope, propeller and engine combustion chamber characteristic of ships of the 1900s, he said.

Mr Abdul Rashid said he hoped that the history of the vessel would be compiled if it actually was the British merchant vessel that sank 100 years ago. BERNAMA