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One Dead, 10 Rescued After Boat With 90 Migrants Sinks

Rescue operations were underway to locate survivors.


This handout picture taken and released by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) on November 9, 2025 shows a MMEA staff member checking on a survivor rescued by a fishing boat during a search and rescue operation off the coast of Langkawi, after a boat carrying migrants from Myanmar capsized near the Malaysia–Thailand border. Photo by HANDOUT / MALAYSIAN MARITIME ENFORCEMENT AGENCY / AFP

 

At least one woman drowned, and 10 people were rescued after a boat carrying around 90 undocumented migrants sank near the Malaysian-Thai border, Malaysian police said Sunday.

“A boat carrying 90 people is believed to have capsized,” three days ago, Kedah police chief Adzli Abu Shah told local media, adding two other boats carrying a similar number of passengers have also been reported missing.

Rescue operations were underway to locate survivors, he added.

The incident is believed to have happened near Tarutao Island, just north of the popular Malaysian resort island of Langkawi, the country’s maritime authority said.

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This handout picture taken and released by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) on November 9, 2025 shows a MMEA staff member searching for suvivors after a boat carrying migrants from Myanmar capsized near the Malaysia Thailand border, during a search and rescue operation off the coast of Langkawi. (Photo by Handout / MALAYSIAN MARITIME ENFORCEMENT AGENCY / AFP)

 

“So far, 11 people, including one body, have been found,” Romli Mustafa, Kedah state maritime director said.

There was a possibility of more victims being found at sea, he added.

Relatively affluent Malaysia is home to millions of migrants from poorer parts of Asia, many of them undocumented, working in industries including construction and agriculture.

But the crossings, facilitated by human trafficking syndicates, are often hazardous leading to boats capsizing.

In one of the worst months, in December 2021, more than 20 migrants drowned in several capsizing incidents off the Malaysian coastline.