Kuala Lumpur: Eight illegal immigrants drowned when their boat capsized off Malaysia's southern coast, officials said yesterday. Eighteen others have been rescued.
Marine police official N.Kalai Chelvan said the boat was heading to Indonesia's Batam island early on Wednesday when it sank in choppy waters. He said the boat was carrying a group of men from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq who were likely trying to reach Australia through Indonesia.
Chelvan said 14 men were initially believed to have drowned but officials later confirmed eight bodies were recovered from the sea. They included four Pakistanis and one Afghan, while the identities of the other victims have not been established. Another 13 Afghans and five Iraqis were rescued close to the shore and investigations are to determine how many are missing, Chelvan said. He said the men were believed to have entered Malaysia from Thailand.
