23 Indonesian Migrants Rescued Off Pangkor, 14 Missing

Malaysian authorities rescued 23 undocumented Indonesian migrants after their boat capsized off Pangkor Island in Perak state, leaving 14 others missing from a total of 37 people on board.

The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency in Perak was alerted around 5:30 a.m. local time on Monday when a local fisherman spotted survivors floating in the waters and called for help. A fishing vessel retrieved the 23 individuals, comprising 16 men and seven women, before marine police escorted them to the Kampung Acheh jetty. The survivors were later transferred to the Manjung district police headquarters for documentation and investigation.

"Initial investigations found that the total number of migrants on the boat was 37," said Mohamad Shukri Khotob, director of the Perak Maritime Enforcement Agency. "So far, 23 victims have been rescued while efforts are ongoing to locate the remaining individuals." Preliminary inquiries indicated the group departed from Kisaran, Indonesia, on May 9, bound for multiple destinations in Malaysia, including Penang, Terengganu, Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, in search of work.

Search operations continued into Tuesday, involving two agency vessels, marine police,...