The ferry left Langkawi for Kuala Kedah at 1pm with 545 passengers and eight crew members on board. It ran aground at about 3pm, said the ferry company’s operations manager, Capt Baharin Baharom, Bernama reported.

Efforts are being made to remove passengers from the vessel, according to the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA).

Kuala Kedah maritime director Noor Azreyanti Ishak said a medical evacuation was carried out by MMEA at 5.37pm as several passengers were experiencing shortness of breath.

The MMEA patrol boat was assisted by several local fishing boats as only small boats can dock with the ferry in an effort to bring the passengers safely to shore.

Baharin said the ferry company was awaiting a report from the ferry captain because at the time of the incident, the water was 1.7m-deep and still safe for navigation.

“A preliminary assessment found that many factors could have caused the ferry to run aground, among which, the ferry not following the original route or that the ferry route was blocked by sea movement at the time,” he said when contacted today.

An official of the Kedah fire and rescue department said the tide was expected to turn at 7pm with high tide expected at 11.30pm. He said the ferry ran aground because of the low tide.