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15 Indonesians killed in Malaysia boat accident
Passengers of the capsized boat who were rescued by fisherman arriving at the Hutan Melintang jetty in Perak
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Passengers of the capsized boat who were rescued by fisherman arriving at the Hutan Melintang jetty in Perak. (The Star/ANN) (The Star/ANN)
Passengers of the capsized boat who were rescued by fisherman arriving at the Hutan Melintang jetty in Perak. (The Star/ANN)
Fifteen Indonesian citizens were killed when a wooden vessel capsized in Sabak Berenam waters in Selangor, Malaysia, on Thursday.
"We have received information this morning that 19 Indonesian citizens have been saved and 15 have been killed in the accident," said Indonesia's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Arrmanatha Nasir as quoted by Antara news agency.
Separately, the ministry's director for the protection of Indonesian nationals and entities abroad, Lalu Muhammad Iqbal, said that the survivors included 10 residents of Aceh province, two from North Sumatra, one from West Sumatra and three from Surabaya in East Java. The origins of three other survivors are still unconfirmed.
"Efforts to identify [the victims] are quite difficult as they don't know each other," said Iqbal.
A search and rescue (SAR) team from Malaysia had been deployed, consisting of 11 boats and three aircraft.
The wooden vessel, also known as the "pom-pom boat", is about 3 meters to 15 meters long. It capsized approximately 15 kilometers off Sabak Berenam Beach in Selangor, allegedly due to overloading.
"According to local fishermen, the boat had 100 passengers [onboard] at the time, while it can only accommodate 70 people," said Iqbal.
The fishermen reported the incident to authorities at 10.30 a.m. on Thursday. (kes)(++++)
