Another body linked to the boat tragedy involving Indonesian nationals near Pulau Pangkor was discovered on Thursday night, bringing the death toll to 10 so far.
In a statement issued today, Agensi Penguatkuasaan Maritim Malaysia Perak said the body of a man was found by fishermen at around 7.40pm, approximately 3.6 nautical miles northeast of the incident location.
“The body was transferred from a local fishing vessel to the Marine Police Force asset PSC 16 before being brought to the Kampung Acheh Marine Police jetty at 9.35pm for further action,” the statement said.
Authorities added that the search and rescue (SAR) operation, which entered its fifth day today, resumed at 7am in an effort to locate four more victims still reported missing.
The tragedy occurred on May 11 when a boat believed to be carrying 37 undocumented Indonesian migrants capsized about 8.2 nautical miles from Pulau Pangkor while travelling towards several destinations in Malaysia.
So far, 23 survivors have been successfully rescued by authorities.
The incident has drawn attention to the dangers faced by undocumented migrants travelling through illegal sea routes, especially during overcrowded and unsafe journeys across Malaysian waters.
