The mishap involving two water scooters in the waters off Tanjung Bungah was due to human negligence, said State Tourism Development Committee chairman Teng Chang Yeow.
The authorities had ruled out technical error in the incident where three Japanese tourists - Hayato Yukimoto, 17, Saki Naga-shima, 18, and Chika Kimura, 15 – escaped with light injuries after their water scooters collided on Sunday.
“The operators cannot be blamed because they have informed the tourists about the rules and regulations.
“The incident also occurred within the zone where water scooter riding is allowed,” said Teng, adding that the Jet Ski and Water Scooter By-Laws were gazetted on Jan 1 this year and the onus was on the local authorities to enforce it.
Following the incident, Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor advised the operators to strictly follow the regulations and guidelines.
Said Teng: “Those riding jet skis must also abide by the safety regulations to avert tragedy.”
One of the victims, Chika when contacted yesterday, said she and her two friends sustained minor in-juries.
“We will be returning home to Tokyo via the Kuala Lumpur Inter-national Airport at 6.45pm today after having spent a week on the island,” she said.
George Town OCPD Asst Comm Azam Abd Hamid said the vic- tims, who were discharged after re-ceiving outpatient treatment at the Penang Hospital, did not lodge a police report as they were already leaving the country.
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Source : STAR
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