Boat capsizes near Malaysia leaving at least 14 dead
A boat believed to be carrying Indonesian migrants capsized near the coastal town of Sabak Bernam in central Selangor state, killing at least 14 people, officials confirmed on Thursday.
The boat was travelling from Malaysia to Sumatrra, in Indonesia, through the Strait of Malacca, which is the main route chosen by Indonesians to avoid detection.
Muhammad Aliyas Hamdan, First Admiral at the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA), confirmed that fifteen passengers had been rescued by local fishermen, and added that given the characteristics of the boat, no more than 100 people were on board.
The bodies of the deceased will be taken to taken to the Teluk Intan public hospital in the neighbouring Perak state.
Southeast Asian region faced a severe migrant crisis in summer, with more than 4,000 migrants arriving to Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar and Bangladesh as a consequence of a crackdown on people-smuggling gangs launched by Thailand in May.
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