The tragedy of illegal migrants at the Thai border. Ten people were rescued after the ship sank, but one person died and other ships remain missing.
At least one woman drowned and 10 other people were rescued after a boat carrying about 90 illegal migrants sank near the Malaysia-Thailand border, Malaysian police said on Sunday. TASR writes about it according to an AFP report.
- A boat with 90 migrants overturned near the Malaysian-Thai border.
- One woman drowned, 10 people were saved.
- Two more boats with hundreds of migrants are still missing.
- The incident happened near the Thai island of Ko Tarutao.
- Migrants risk their lives trying to get work in Malaysia.
“The boat with 90 people on board is believed to have capsized,” the police chief in the northwestern Malaysian state of Kedah told local media three days ago. He also said that two other ships with a similar number of passengers were also missing, adding that rescue operations were underway to find survivors.
Incident at Ko Tarutao islands
According to Malaysian maritime authorities, the incident likely took place near the Thai island of Ko Tarutao, north of Malaysia’s popular tourist archipelago of Langkawi.
“So far we have managed to find 11 people, including one dead person,” said Kedah Maritime Authority director Romli Mustafa. He added that there will probably be more victims.
The risky journey of migrants
Malaysia is home to millions of migrants from other parts of Asia who work in construction or agriculture. Many of these persons do not have the necessary documents.
Indonesians illegally trying to get work in Malaysia often risk their lives trying to get across the sea. Accidents are frequent in such cases due to adverse weather and insufficient safety measures.
