Reuters
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Ten survivors and one body have been recovered after a boat sank near the Thailand-Malaysia border on Sunday, leaving hundreds of people missing, Malaysian maritime authorities said.
More victims may be found at sea, nearly three days after the ship sank from Buthidaung, Myanmar, with about 300 people on board, said Rear Admiral Romli Mustapha, head of the maritime authority for Malaysia’s northern states of Kedah and Perlis.
The survivors found off the coast of Langkawi included three Myanmar men, two Rohingya men and one Bangladeshi man, and the body was that of a Rohingya woman, state media outlet Bernama reported, citing Kedah state police chief Azri Abu Shah.
The mainly Muslim Rohingya minority, who regularly flee majority-Buddhist Myanmar, are considered foreign invaders from South Asia, stripped of their citizenship and exposed to abuse.
Azri said those bound for Malaysia initially boarded a large ship, but as they approached the border they were told to transfer to three smaller boats, each carrying about 100 people, to avoid detection by authorities.
The status of the other two vessels is unknown, and search and rescue operations are continuing.
