A 56-year-old man is missing and feared drowned after his fishing boat hit a submerged log, while his nine-year-old adopted son survived by clinging to the vessel.

PONTIAN: A subcontractor is missing and feared drowned after a fishing trip with his nine-year-old adopted son ended in tragedy this morning.

Pontian police chief Supt Hadzrat Mion Hussein said Tan Siang Fook @ Albert Tan, 56, and the boy, Chong Hao Chen, were on a rented 20-horsepower motorboat when the incident occurred near the Bumbung Biru Jetty at Tanjung Ayer Hitam.

The boat is believed to have struck a log lying across the waterway approximately 800 metres from the jetty, causing both occupants to fall into the river.

Hadzrat confirmed that the child managed to save himself by clinging to the boat, noting that neither individual was wearing a life jacket at the time of the accident.

Authorities have established an incident control post and activated a search and rescue operation involving the police, the Fire and Rescue Department and the Civil Defence Force.

The surviving boy has been handed over to his next of kin after a viral Facebook post led the public to assist in locating his family.

The social media post described the boy being found and reported his claim that his father had drowned after falling from their boat while they were fishing.

Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching, who is also the Kulai MP, confirmed on Facebook that the child’s relatives had been contacted and were en route to collect him.

 The Sun Malaysia