Boat with 100 migrants capsizes off Malaysia, many dead 

A wooden boat carrying about 100 migrants heading to Indonesia has capsized off Malaysia’s western coast, the country’s maritime agency said on Thursday, adding there were an unknown number of fatalities.

Agency official Mohamad Hambali Yaakup said 12 people have been rescued so far, and several bodies have been recovered by fishermen but he could not give further details.

Mohamad Hambali said the boat was believed to have taking migrant workers home to Tanjung Balai in Indonesia’s Sumatra province and that it was likely to have been overcrowded when it sank.

Such incidents are common in Malaysia, which has up to 2 million Indonesian migrants working illegally in the country.

The Indonesians work without legal permits in plantations and other industries in Malaysia, and often travel between the countries by crossing the narrow Strait of Malacca in poorly equipped boats.

Keywords: boat capsize, Malaysia boat capsize, fatalities feared.