11 dead and 25 missing in boat tragedy

KOTA TINGGI: A framed photo with a loved one, identification cards, wallets and other valuables were some of the items washed ashore after a boat ferrying 50 immigrants capsized, leaving 25 missing and 11 dead.

Johor Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) deputy director (operations) Maritime Capt Simon Templer Lo Tusa said the immigrants were attempting to enter the country in the wee hours of yesterday when they were hit by bad weather.

He said strong winds and currents swept the boat at around 4.30am causing it to overturn and throwing all of the immigrants, believed to be from Batam and Lombok, Indonesia, into the sea near Tanjung Balau here.

“Twelve men and two women survived with one of the male survivors in critical condition.

“They were sent to Hospital Kota Tinggi for treatment and Covid-19 screening but interrogation could not be carried out as most of them were in shock and traumatised by the incident.

“We also retrieved the bodies of seven men and four women.

“Some of them were found near the shore yesterday morning.

Grim situation: This handout photo from the Malaysian Armed Forces showing a boat being brought to shore after it capsized near Tanjung Balau off the Johor coast. — AFP

“The search mission is still ongoing to find the remaining 25 victims,” he said at a press conference yesterday, adding that MMEA had activated an aircraft, a ship and boat with 35 personnel for the search.

The immigrants, aged between 20 and 50, probably paid around RM2,000 to RM3,000 each to get on the boat into Malaysia via ungazetted routes, he said.

Templer said the search and rescue efforts would continue for four to 10 days, depending on the situation.

“Due to many factors such as weather, the radius of the search area especially at night, I cannot say for sure how many more victims we can find in this period of time,” he said.

Besides the MMEA, other agencies involved in the search and rescue operation are the Navy and Fire and Rescue Department.

They launched the search and rescue operation after receiving an alert from the maritime rescue sub centre about a boat capsizing in the Tanjung Balau area.

The rescue personnel took initial actions such as retrieving the capsized 13.4m-long boat, powered by four engines, to ensure that no victims were still trapped inside.

Templer also urged foreign immigrants to enter and exit the country through legal entry and exit points to avoid putting their lives in danger and going against the law.