Hundreds of people are reportedly missing after one of the three boats carrying over 300 undocumented migrants capsized near the Malaysian-Thai border, officials said on Monday.
One woman drowned, and ten people were rescued after the boat with 90 on board sank on Sunday. According to eyewitnesses, the vessel, however, sank three days ago. Officials further confirm that two more boats with the same number of passengers are also missing.
“A total of 11 bodies have been recovered so far,” said Romli Mutafa, Kedah state maritime director. More victims might still be found at sea, he warned. The incident, according to Malaysian authorities, took place near Tarutao, just north of the popular Malaysian resort island of Langkawi, the country's maritime authority said.
More than 300 migrants left Buthidaung, Myanmar, aboard one large vessel, Romli added. However, as they crossed the international waters and approached Malaysian territory, they were instructed to move to three smaller boats, each carrying about 100 people, to avoid detection by the authorities, said another official.
The two other boats have still not been located, and the search for them continues across the suspected areas, he said.
These people were fleeing the violence and persecution in Myanmar, and millions of members of the stateless Rohingya minority have fled across the border to Bangladesh in recent years.
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