Langkawi: A boat believed to be carrying nearly 100 undocumented migrants of various nationalities capsized near the Malaysia-Thailand maritime border, with six survivors found in Langkawi waters.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Kedah police chief Datuk Adzli Abu Shah said the six rescued individuals included three Myanmar men, two Rohingya men, and one Bangladeshi man. Additionally, the body of a Rohingya woman was found drifting at sea.

‘At 9 am yesterday, we received a call from the public reporting three men drifting near Teluk Ewa, Langkawi. They were rescued and handed over to the police. In the afternoon, three more men and the body of a woman were found in the same area,’ Adzli reported.

Preliminary investigations revealed that about a month ago, the migrants boarded a large vessel carrying 300 people to enter Malaysia. As they neared the border, they were instructed to transfer onto three smaller boats, each carrying an estimated 100 people, a strategy employed to avoid detection by the authorities.

The boat carrying the rescued individuals capsized three days ago, with the incident believed to have occurred in Thai waters before they drifted into Malaysian territory. The status of the other two boats remains unknown, prompting a request for search and rescue operations by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency and the Marine Police.

Adzli stated that further investigations would be conducted on the six men, who are currently detained at the Langkawi District Police Headquarters. The body of the woman has been sent to Sultanah Maliha Hospital, Langkawi.