Langkawi Boat Tragedy: Death Toll Rises to 28 After Two More Bodies Found

LANGKAWI, Nov 13: The death toll from the boat capsize tragedy off the Malaysia-Thailand maritime border near Langkawi has climbed to 28 after two more bodies were recovered on Thursday.

First Admiral (Maritime) Romli Mustafa, director of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) for Kedah and Perlis, said the latest victims were a young girl and a man, discovered in separate locations earlier in the day.

“At 9.39am, we received a report from a local fisherman about the discovery of a girl’s body approximately 5.8 nautical miles from Pulau Cupu. A Navy boat was dispatched to retrieve the body, which was then handed over to police,” Romli said in a statement.

Later in the day, at 4.31pm, another report was received about a man’s body found on Pulau Beras Basah. “A Civil Defence Force boat was sent to the location to recover the remains,” he added.

As of 6pm Thursday, the confirmed fatalities included 14 men, nine women, two boys, and three girls, bringing the total to 28.

Meanwhile, 14 survivors have been rescued, 12 men and two women, since the tragedy occurred earlier this week.

Romli said the day’s search and rescue (SAR) operation was suspended at 7pm due to fading light and rough conditions, with operations set to resume at 7.30am tomorrow.

He added that the MMEA, along with other agencies including the Royal Malaysian Navy, Civil Defence Force, and Marine Police, will intensify search efforts to locate the remaining missing passengers.

Members of the public with information about possible sightings or debris are urged to contact the Langkawi Maritime Operations Centre at 04-966 2750 or the 999 emergency hotline.

The ill-fated boat, believed to be carrying undocumented migrants, capsized earlier this week in rough seas near the maritime boundary between Malaysia and Thailand, prompting a large-scale rescue and recovery effort involving multiple agencies.