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CrimeSoutheast Asia

Tragic Boat Capsizing Near Thailand-Malaysia Border Leaves Dozens Missing

A migrant vessel capsizes near the border, raising alarm for a group of refugees escaping ongoing persecution.

Source: bbc.co.uk1 min read
Tragic Boat Capsizing Near Thailand-Malaysia Border Leaves Dozens Missing
Image via bbc.co.uk

In brief

A tragic maritime incident has unfolded near the Thailand-Malaysia border, where a boat carrying migrants capsized, leaving dozens missing and resulting in at least one confirmed death. The Malaysian Coast Guard reports that about 300 migrants had split from a larger vessel, and search efforts are ongoing as the region grapples with ongoing refugee crises.

Dozens of people are missing and one person has died after a boat carrying migrants sank near the border between Thailand and Malaysia.

The vessel is believed to have capsized near the southern Thai island of Ko Tarutao on Thursday, the Malaysian Coast Guard said.

Ten people have been rescued and the body of a woman was found floating in the sea.

Maritime officials believe the victims are part of a group of about 300 people who had been travelling on a larger vessel before splitting onto small boats as they approached Malaysia.

Those rescued near the Malaysian resort of Langkawi include three Myanmar men, two Rohingya men, and one Bangladeshi man, according to Malaysia's state-run agency Bernama quoting a police chief.

The body found in the water was that of a Rohingya woman, the report added.

Efforts to look for more survivors are currently underway.

The mostly-Muslim Rohingya community has fled Buddhist-majority Myanmar in vast numbers in recent years to escape persecution.

Conflict and conditions in refugee camps in Bangladesh have also continued to push vulnerable people onto overcrowded vessels as they seek a better life in Malaysia.

Officials say many of those fleeing would have paid more than $3,000 (£2,300) for passage.

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