The death toll has risen to 50 in the migrant boat sinking off Malaysia on 3 September.
According to Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) official Mohamad Aliyas Hamdan, the agency has retrieved another 35 bodies since 4 September off Selangor, Malaysia.
The agency had rescued 20 survivors and the figures have been confirmed by the Indonesian authority. The survivors are believed to be from Aceh province, Indonesia.
Indonesia’s ambassador to Malaysia Herman Prayitno said the victims were mostly illegal immigrants going back home for a religious festival.
The wooden boat was ferrying around 80 passengers, prompting authorities to suspect overcapacity as the main cause of the sinking.
MMEA has pledged to conduct search and rescue operation for seven days in hopes to find more survivors.
This post was sourced from IHS Maritime 360: View the original article here.
