Malaysian authorities have recovered at least seven bodies after a boat carrying migrants capsized near the Thai border, a maritime agency official said on Sunday.
Authorities believe the boat was carrying undocumented migrants from Myanmar, part of a group of at least 300 people spread across several vessels.
The boat that capsized near the Thai island of Tarutao and just north of the Malaysian resort of Langkawi was carrying about 90 people, Kedah state police chief Adzli Abu Shah told Malaysian media.
Romli Mustafa, director of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency in the northern states of Kedah and Perlis, said in a statement that three survivors were found in the waters around Langkawi along with six bodies on Sunday, bringing the total death toll to seven.
At least 13 people were rescued alive.
Romli said the bodies found on Sunday were those of a girl and five women, without revealing their nationality or ethnicity.
The body found on Saturday is believed to be that of a woman belonging to the Rohingya minority persecuted in Myanmar, Adzli told Bernama national news agency.
Search and rescue efforts ended for the day and will resume on Monday, Romli added, saying it was possible to find more survivors or victims at sea.
The boat likely sank three days ago, according to the state police chief.
Two other ships, which were likely carrying part of the group of 300 migrants who left from Myanmar, were also missing, Adzli was quoted as saying by Free Malaysia. Today’s news website.
He said preliminary investigations showed the group boarded a large ship that was transporting them to waters near Malaysia.
“As they approached the border, they were ordered to board three smaller boats, each carrying around 100 people,” he said. Bernama.
“We have asked the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency and the maritime police to launch search and rescue operations and search for the other missing boats,” Adzli was quoted as saying by the newspaper. New Strait Times.
Malaysian police did not respond AFP» requests for feedback.
Relatively wealthy Malaysia is home to millions of migrants from poorer parts of Asia, many undocumented, working in sectors such as construction and agriculture.
But the crossings, facilitated by human trafficking syndicates, are often dangerous, leading to boats capsizing.
“Cross-border syndicates are now increasingly exploiting migrants by making them victims of human trafficking using high-risk maritime routes,” Romli said.
Unions charge up to $3,500 per person to enter the country, Malaysian media reported.
In one of the worst months, December 2021, more than 20 migrants drowned in several incidents off the coast of Malaysia.
