Pulau Pangkor Boat Capsize: Three More Bodies Found

LUMUT, May 13 (Bernama) -- Three more bodies of women, believed to be victims of a boat capsize incident involving undocumented Indonesian migrants off Pulau Pangkor on Monday, have been found.

Marine Police Region One Operations Command officer DSP Mazre Che Mahmod said the three bodies were discovered by Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) vessel KD Sri Indera Sakti about 20 nautical miles from the location of the incident at around 6 pm yesterday.

“Investigations to determine the identities of the three victims are ongoing,” he said when contacted by Bernama today.

Mazre said the latest discovery brought the total number of victims found so far to 30, after 23 of them were rescued on the first day of the search and rescue (SAR) operation on May 11.

“We are still searching for seven more victims. The third day of the SAR operation resumed at 7 am today, involving the Marine Police, RMN and the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA),” he said.

Earlier yesterday, four bodies were found in the waters off Pulau Pangkor.

Today’s SAR operation involves two Marine Police boats, three RMN vessels and three MMEA assets — Maritime Vessel (KM) Malawali, BENTENG 1203 and a Bombardier CL415MP aircraft from the Subang Air Station.

Yesterday, MMEA Perak rescued 23 Indonesian migrants after the boat carrying them capsized in the waters off Pulau Pangkor near Lumut on Monday.

The boat was reported to be carrying 37 undocumented migrants from Indonesia, who were believed to have departed from Kisaran, Indonesia, on May 9 for Malaysia,

-- BERNAMA