The body of one of two missing Singaporean kayakers, 57-year-old Josephine Puah Geok Tin, was found on Aug. 14, 2019.

However, the search for the second missing kayaker, 62-year-old Tan Eng Soon, has been called off just 10 days in.

Halted because "no more new clues"

The search operation was stopped at around 9pm on Aug. 18, reported CNA.

According to the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, it was halted as "no more new clues were found since the discovery of the female victim".

Johor maritime chief Aminuddin Haji Abdul Rashid did add that the search operation would commence again "if there are new (leads)".

The 10-day search and rescue mission has involved personnel from the Endau Police Station, the Marine Operations Force, Civil Defence Department and Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency.

Aminuddin revealed the operations have cost around RM431,380 (S$143,121) and involved 155 personnel, reported Yahoo.

Tan's son previously urged authorities to continue search efforts

On Aug. 15, Tan's son, Jeremy Tan, spoke to CNA and urged Malaysian authorities to continue the search effort for his father.

He thanked the Malaysia maritime police and Ministry of Foreign Affairs for their help and support, saying that he was "grateful".

The younger Tan also requested for local fishermen to keep a lookout, as "they have been instrumental in the search thus far".

His comments were made a day after Puah's body was found, six days into search operations.

Puah's body was found 100 nautical miles away from their last known location, and Puah's son confirmed her death on Aug. 15.

Puah and Tan both went missing on Aug. 8, during a kayaking expedition in Mersing, Johor, Malaysia.

The pair were believed to have drifted away from the main group, and were reported missing the next day on Aug. 9.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Singapore has released a statement thanking the Malaysian authorities.

This is the statement in full:

We express our deepest sympathies to the families of the two Singaporeans involved in a mishap while kayaking in Mersing, Malaysia. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families during this difficult time.

The Singapore Government would like to express our deep appreciation to the Malaysian government and all Malaysian agencies who were involved in the Search and Rescue (SAR) operations over the past 10 days. It was an intensive operation, during which assets and manpower were deployed in challenging conditions that covered a vast area of waters off the Malaysian states of Johor, Pahang and Terengganu. We are especially grateful to the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA), who led the SAR efforts and coordinated amongst the various Malaysian agencies both on the ground and at sea. We have also been heartened by the support and assistance of ordinary Malaysians from all walks of life, especially the fishermen in the area who played a critical role in the recovery efforts.

Top photo from @bncchinese / IG