12th Victim Found After Migrant Boat Sinks As Indonesia Hit By Earthquake

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent

JAKARTA/KUALA LUMPUR (Worthy News) – Malaysian authorities confirmed Friday that at least 12 people were killed after a boat carrying undocumented migrants sank off the country’s western coast, while neighboring Indonesia was struck by a strong earthquake.

A spokesman for the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) said the 12th victim, a woman, was found Friday afternoon about 31.5 nautical miles (58.3 kilometers) from where the boat was believed to have capsized.

Officials said two more people remained missing, while others were rescued.

Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry confirmed that at least seven Indonesian nationals were among those killed after the overcrowded boat carrying at least 37 undocumented migrants sank near Pangkor Island off Malaysia’s west coast earlier this week.

Authorities said most passengers reportedly lacked legal travel documents.

SEARCH FOR SURVIVORS

The boat disaster came to light after a local fisherman alerted authorities Monday after spotting survivors floating at sea.

Malaysian authorities said 23 people had been rescued, including 16 men and seven women.

Mohamad Shukri Khotob, director of the MMEA in Malaysia’s Perak state, said preliminary investigations suggested the migrants departed from Kisaran in Indonesia’s North Sumatra province and were heading to several destinations across Malaysia, including the island state of Penang, the eastern state of Terengganu, the industrial region of Selangor near the capital, and Kuala Lumpur itself.

Malaysia is home to large numbers of migrant workers from neighboring Asian countries seeking employment in sectors such as construction and agriculture.

Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry said officials and embassy staff in Kuala Lumpur were helping identify victims and trace relatives, many believed to come from North Sumatra.

MIGRANTS WARNED

“The Foreign Ministry expresses its deep condolences for this incident and advises citizens not to use illegal routes to work overseas,” the ministry said.

Details of the boat tragedy emerged while nearby Indonesia was coping with a magnitude 6.7 earthquake that struck the remote Tanimbar Islands region early Friday.

Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) said the earthquake occurred at 12:53 a.m. local time.

The agency said the epicenter was located in the sea about 225 kilometers (140 miles) north of the Tanimbar Islands at a depth of 163 kilometers (101 miles).

No tsunami warning was issued, and there were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage, though authorities urged residents to remain alert for possible aftershocks.

RING OF FIRE

Indonesia frequently experiences earthquakes and volcanic eruptions because the archipelago lies along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a highly active seismic zone where several tectonic plates meet.

The Ring of Fire is responsible for many of the world’s strongest earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and tsunamis.

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