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A boat suspected to be carrying illegal immigrants has capsized off southern Johor on Wednesday (Dec. 15) morning.
10 dead and 29 missing
A total of 10 people were found dead, while 29 are currently missing, according to Reuters.
Bot Karam: 10 mayat ditemui, 21 selamat, 29 dipercayai masih hilang - Pengarah Maritim Johor
— BERNAMA (@bernamadotcom) December 15, 2021
📸 Maritim Negeri Johor pic.twitter.com/MDoPJAtaib
Another 21 people were reported safe among the estimated 60 people on the boat.
The boat was believed to have capsized due to bad weather.
Search and rescue operation launched
In a statement by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA), as reported by Yahoo Malaysia, the boat ran into difficulties in the waters off Tanjung Balau at 4:30am on Dec. 15.
MMEA launched a search-and-rescue (SAR) operation at 8:50am after receiving information.
An AW 139 Agusta aircraft, a KM Tegas patrol boat and a Petir 50 boat were dispatched to track down and locate the remaining victims.
It is unclear if the boat had been entering or leaving Malaysian waters.
Top image courtesy of Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency via Bernama's Twitter page.If you like what you read, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Telegram to get the latest updates.