Rescuers work in the waters near Perak state, Malaysia, on May 12, 2026. A boat carrying 37 undocumented migrants sank off Pangkor Island on Malaysia's west coast, leaving 14 people still missing, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) said on Tuesday. (MMEA/Handout via Xinhua)
KUALA LUMPUR, May 12 (Xinhua) -- A boat carrying 37 undocumented migrants sank off Pangkor Island on Malaysia's west coast, leaving 14 people still missing, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) said on Tuesday.
The incident was reported by a Malaysian fisherman who found and picked up 23 survivors near the island in Perak state, with authorities currently engaged in a search and rescue effort to locate the remaining 14 who are still missing, Mohamad Shukri Khotob, Perak state MMEA director, said in a statement.
"Preliminary investigations also found that the migrants departed from Kisaran, Indonesia, on May 9 and were headed for several destinations in Malaysia, including Penang, Terengganu, Selangor and Kuala Lumpur," he said.
He added that the agency has deployed boats, a helicopter and surveillance aircraft to search for the missing. ■
Rescuers work in Perak state, Malaysia, on May 12, 2026. A boat carrying 37 undocumented migrants sank off Pangkor Island on Malaysia's west coast, leaving 14 people still missing, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) said on Tuesday. (MMEA/Handout via Xinhua)
Survivors are pictured in Perak state, Malaysia, on May 12, 2026. A boat carrying 37 undocumented migrants sank off Pangkor Island on Malaysia's west coast, leaving 14 people still missing, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) said on Tuesday. (MMEA/Handout via Xinhua)
