PETALING JAYA: The fate of Astro Awani journalist Ashwad Ismail, 26, and cameraman Samsulkamal Abdul Latip, 43, as well as nine other Malaysians believed to be on board Turkish ship Mavi Marmara when Israeli commandos stormed it yesterday, remains unknown.
Astro Awani’s last contact with its crew was at 7.45pm on Sunday, according to a statement from the TV channel.
A senior Astro Awani source said they were trying desperately to establish contact with the two.
The attack took place 65km off the Gaza coast in international waters yesterday morning, killing nine people and injuring many others.
Astro Awani has not received word from them since the attack took place at 10.30am local time, according to a statement from Astro Awani.
The two-man crew left Kuala Lumpur for Istanbul, Turkey, on May 23 before proceeding to Antalya Port to join the convoy which left for Gaza on Sunday.
Mavi Marmara was leading an international convoy dubbed the Freedom Flotilla with six other ships intending to deliver 10,000 tonnes of aid to Gaza.
A total of 700 activists from 50 countries, including Israel, are participating in this humanitarian effort.
According to a statement from Lifeline 4 Gaza, there were six other Malaysians on board another ship and they were safe.
They were on the Rachel Corrie which left from Cyprus, according to a statement by NGO Perdana Global Peace Organisation.
They are lawyer Matthias Chang, journalist Shamsul Akmar, Parit MP Nizar Zakaria, activist Ahmad Faizal Azumu and TV3 crew members Halim Mohamed and Jufri Junid.
Meru state assemblyman Dr Abdul Rani Osman, who is on board one of the ships, managed to send a message to some of his Selangor state assemblymen that he was safe.
PAS activist Jamulidin Bakar was also on board one of the ships but he had yet to get in touch with fellow party members, said PAS secretary-general Datuk Kamaruddin Jaafar.
The Israeli navy has diverted the convoy to the port of Ashdod where a special passport and detention centre has been set up.
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