He said boat operators should equip their boats with the necessary equipment such as GPS tracking system and radio communication devices as well as making life jackets mandatory for every person on board their vessels.

“My deepest condolences to the families of the victims who perished in this most tragic incident. My thoughts and prayers also go to those who are still missing,” he said in a statement today.

He said the relevant authorities were still mobilising the necessary resources to assist in the ongoing search for those still missing.

“I also expect a thorough investigation into this mishap. We must do our utmost to prevent such incidents from happening,” he said.

Meanwhile, police arrested three people, including the boat owner, over the capsize of a catamaran ferrying Chinese tourists to Pulau Mengalum last Saturday.

Sabah Police Commissioner Ramli Din said the 44-year-old owner of the catamaran was arrested here at about 4pm.

“Police found that the owner, who also doubles up as the manager, had breached procedures, including overloading the boat.

“Police will also investigate whether negligence led to the deaths of the tourists.”

Twenty tourists were rescued, three were found dead and five are missing after the catamaran carrying 27 Chinese tourists and three crew capsized about 10am last Saturday while heading for Pulau Mengalum from the Tanjung Aru jetty here.

On the 20 tourists rescued, Ramli said 12 of them were in stable condition but exhausted and the other eight suffered burns, peeling skin and swollen legs and had difficulty walking.

All of them were under treatment at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital here, he added.