Malaysian maritime authorities were searching for 14 people after a boat believed to be carrying undocumented Indonesian migrants sank off the country’s western coast on Monday.
An alarm was raised early in the morning after a local fisherman spotted the victims floating near Pangkor Island in Perak state, according to Perak Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency head Mohamad Shukri Khotob.
Reuters reported that rescue teams, along with local fishermen, managed to save 23 Indonesians, including seven women.
“Preliminary investigations found that they left Kisaran, Indonesia, on 9 May. The migrants were bound for several destinations, including Penang, Terengganu, Selangor, and Kuala Lumpur,” Mr Khotob said in a statement. “The rescued victims were brought to the Kampung Acheh jetty and handed over to police for further investigation.”
Officials said the boat was carrying 37 people when it went down. They were travelling to Malaysia in search of work.
“The remaining victims have yet to be identified and search operations are continuing,” Mr Khotob said.
Accidents are common along the sea route between neighbours Indonesia and Malaysia. Many involve overcrowded boats transporting migrant workers to plantations, factories, and construction sites.
Rights groups estimate that 100,000-200,000 Indonesians attempt the dangerous crossing every year. Many are suspected to be recruited by trafficking networks and later face exploitation after arriving in Malaysia.
“MMEA remains committed to carrying out search and rescue operations, together with the related agencies, to ensure all victims believed to be involved are found,” Mr Khotob said.
Last year, Indonesia said it had repatriated 3,585 migrant workers deported from Malaysia between January and July 2025.
Officials said 1,129 of those returned were part of “Program M”, a joint initiative between Malaysia and Indonesia launched in November 2024 to send home 7,200 undocumented Indonesians over two years. The programme is expected to continue until the end of 2026.