Four more bodies of illegal immigrants found in Kota Tinggi

Four more bodies of Indonesian illegal immigrants were found on the beach of Ladang Sungai Tengah, Kota Tinggi this evening, making the overall number of drowned victims found to 22.

Kota Tinggi police chief Supt Rahmat Othman said the four bodies were found between 1.30pm to 4.30pm.

In a statement he said two bodies were found by members of the public while another two more were found by search and rescue teams about three kilometres from the incident location.

"All the bodies were brought to Bandar Penawar police station for documentation before being sent to Kota Tinggi for post-mortem," he said.

Earlier this morning, five bodies were found in the waters off Tanjung Kelisa, Bandar Penawar.

"Search and rescue operation is still going on at the coastal areas," he said.

Supt Rahmat Othman said early investigations revealed that the boat was believed to be carrying more than 40 illegal immigrants from Pulau Batam, who were trying to sneak into the country.

He said several immigrants who managed to swim to shore had escaped. However, the exact number was still unknown.

The 40-foot boat was believed to have capsized after being hit by waves and strong winds, causing all the illegal immigrants to fall into the sea.

- Bernama