Body of man found in Sandakan river, croc attack suspected

SANDAKAN: The body of a man who was feared to have been killed by a crocodile while fishing in Sungai Sibuga, near Taman Kenari here, has been found dead.

The 30-year-old victim, identified as Ubing Markum, was last seen around 4pm on Monday (July 14) when he left his house to cast nets in the river.

At approximately 5.20pm that same evening, villagers saw his boat shaking violently in the water — and recognised the disturbance as likely caused by a crocodile. When they approached to check, there was no one on the boat.

Later, the boat was found abandoned near the riverbank, with visible crocodile bite marks.

The Sandakan police station received an alert at 1.31am, while the Fire and Rescue Department received an alert from police at 8.50am on Tuesday and arrived at the location about 8km away by 8.57am. The search and rescue operation officially began at 9.10am, involving multiple agencies and villagers.

His body was found floating in the river at 2.14pm today, about 1km from where his boat was found. He was confirmed dead by police at the scene and brought to Sandakan Hospital for further action. The operation ended at 3.40pm.

It is understood that Ubing lost his wife several years ago and had been raising two children — an 11-year-old son and an eight-year-old daughter — with the help of his ageing parents.

His father, who was present at the scene, was the one who identified his body.

According to villagers, Ubing’s son had also survived a crocodile attack in the same river last year. During the struggle, the boy fought off the reptile and survived with bite wounds to his arms. Villagers claimed that Ubing had vowed to hunt the crocodile down but never did.

Despite the danger, Ubing continued his daily fishing routine, often bringing his son along for safety. However, on the day of the incident, he had told his son he would go alone.

His father, who was calm when met at the scene, said Ubing was his only child still living with him and promised to take good care of the grandchildren.

The river is known to be inhabited by crocodiles, and villagers remain concerned about the risks of fishing in the area.

The tragedy has renewed concerns over crocodile activity in Sungai Sibuga. In a chilling reminder of past dangers, in September 2022, the severed head of a man, who was walking to a nearby mosque in Sandakan, was found.