14 missing after boat carrying migrants capsizes off Pangkor

 Local fishermen managed to rescue 16 men and seven women.

MMEA personnel during the search and rescue operation yesterday. (MMEA Facebook pic)

PETALING JAYA:

A boat carrying 37 undocumented migrants from Indonesia sank in the waters off Pangkor island in Perak early yesterday morning, with 14 still missing as of today.

The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) said a local fishing vessel reported the incident at around 5.30am, leading to a search and rescue operation launched with the help of the marine police, navy, and local fishermen.

Perak MMEA director Shukri Khotob said local fishermen managed to rescue 16 men and seven women, while the search for the remaining 14 is ongoing.

“Preliminary investigations found that they left Kisaran, Indonesia, on May 9. The migrants were bound for several destinations including Penang, Terengganu, Selangor, and Kuala Lumpur.

“The rescued victims were brought to the Kampung Acheh jetty and handed over to the cops for further investigation,” he said in a statement. - FMT