Soldier pierced in the abdomen by swordfish

He was shivering and suffering from pain when picked up by a navy vessel on a mercy mission.

KOTA KINABALU: In a freak incident, a soldier deployed to Pulau Tugupil, about 90 km from Sandakan, was pierced in his abdomen by a swordfish necessitating a navy vessel to be despatched immediately to the scene on a mercy mission to rescue him.

Kpl Jain Humjak, who is with the army’s Border Regiment, is recovering at the Duchess of Kent Hospital in Sandakan after he was brought in at about 11.45am yesterday.

KD Perlis received a distress call at 1am while patrolling the waters around Tigabu Island about 40km from Tugupil and rushed to the area.

However, when they arrived at 3.30am, they were unable to move into Tugupil due to low tide and had to wait until about 7am before Kpl Jain was brought in from the island by a navy boat.

“Kpl Jain, who was shivering and suffering from pain, was given medication by our personnel on board KD Perlis,” The Star quoted the navy’s Sandakan base commander Laksamana Pertama Ahmad Abdullah as saying.

“He was also suffering from sea-sickness as the sea was choppy. We immediately rushed him to the Sandakan hospital,” he said.

A swordfish uses its “sword” to slash at its prey to injure it, to make for an easier catch. The fish relies on its great speed and agility in the water to catch its prey. It is undoubtedly among the fastest fish in the sea but attacks on humans are rare.

Tags: Swordfish, KD Perlis, Pulau Tugupil, Duchess of Kent Hospital