Most of the 31 people including dozens of Chinese tourists were successfully rescued on Sunday, a day after tourist boat went missing off the coast of Borneo island, according to local Malaysian media.        

Malaysia's The Star Online reported that 4 people are still missing among 31 people on-board. Sabah state's Assistant Tourism Minister informed the news website that 25 individuals including Capitan and crew members were successfully rescued by Sunday afternoon.  

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"Most of them were picked up from the sea in waters off Labuan," the tourism minister said. "They were found in groups of five and 10 people."

Earlier on Saturday, the Malaysian Maritime agency said that the rescue operation was being hindered due to bad weather. The search operation was being carried out about 400 square nautical miles off the contagious South China Sea region.

The tourist boat was heading towards the picturesque Pulau Mengalum island, popular for its amazing beaches and diving sites. The island is located in the Malaysia's Sabah state, on the west off Kota Kinabalu.

The China's foreign ministry said that there were nearly 20 Chinese tourists on board in the boat, while Chinese consulate in Sabah claimed that '18 Chinese tourists' were travelling in the boat. Later, Malaysia's maritime agency as well as the local media confirmed that there were 28 Chinese passengers travelling in the boat.

No one from the rescued tourists has so far spoken with the Malaysian or local media. Most Chinese tourists go for vacation during this time of the year to celebrate the Chinese New Year, which officially kicked off last January 28.    

TagsChinese Tourists, China Boat, China and Malaysia, China and Malaysia Boat