Boat Carrying Nearly 100 Migrants Capsizes Near Langkawi; One Dead, Six Rescued

ALOR SETAR, Nov 9:  A tragic maritime incident occurred near the Malaysia-Thailand border after a boat believed to be carrying nearly 100 undocumented migrants capsized in rough waters. Six men were rescued in Langkawi, while the body of a woman was recovered at sea.

Kedah police chief Datuk Adzli Abu Shah confirmed that the six survivors comprise three Myanmar nationals, two Rohingya men, and one Bangladeshi man. The deceased woman has been identified as a Rohingya migrant.

“At 9am on Saturday, we received a report from members of the public about three men drifting near Teluk Ewa, Langkawi. They were rescued and handed over to the police. Later in the afternoon, three more men and the body of a woman were found in the same area,” Adzli told Bernama on Sunday.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the migrants had boarded a large vessel about a month ago, believed to be carrying around 300 people attempting to enter Malaysia illegally. As they approached the maritime border, they were allegedly instructed to transfer into three smaller boats, each carrying about 100 passengers, to avoid detection by authorities.

“Three days ago, one of the smaller boats capsized in Thai waters, and the survivors drifted into Malaysian territory,” Adzli said.

He added that the status of the remaining two boats is still unknown. The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) and Marine Police have launched search and rescue operations to locate any remaining survivors and missing vessels.

The six rescued men are being held at the Langkawi District Police Headquarters for further questioning, while the deceased woman’s body has been sent to Sultanah Maliha Hospital for a post-mortem examination.

Authorities are investigating the case under immigration and anti-trafficking laws, as they work to uncover the network responsible for organizing the dangerous journey.