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View all search resultsSeven Indonesians dead, 7 missing after migrant boat sinks near Malaysia
Authorities rescued 23 Indonesians after a migrant boat sank near Perak, while officials continue searching for seven others still missing.
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Survivors who were rescued sit after a boat believed to be carrying undocumented Indonesian migrants sank off the coast of Pangkor Island, Malaysia in this undated handout released May 12, 2026. (Reuters/Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency)
T
he Foreign Ministry confirmed on Wednesday that seven Indonesian nationals were among the fatalities in a migrant boat sinking off Pangkor island on Malaysia’s west coast, while seven others remained missing.
Heni Hamidah, the foreign ministry director for citizen protection, said on Wednesday the ministry and the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur were working to help the 37 Indonesian nationals that were on the boat that sank near Malaysia’s Perak state on Monday.
She said 23 people were able to be rescued from the boat, 16 men and 7 women, most of which had no legal travel documents.
“From the 14 Indonesian nationals that were missing, seven of them are found dead and [whose bodies] are currently at a hospital in Perak [state] for identification and investigation by local authorities,” Heni said in a statement on Wednesday. “Seven others are still missing.”
She said the ministry would dispatch a team to try tracking the families of the victims, who were speculated to be originated from North Sumatra, to help identification of the victims who were still alive and the deceased to create necessary documents for further steps.
“The Foreign Ministry expresses its deep condolences for this incident and advises citizens to not use non-procedural or illegal routes to try working overseas,” Heni said.
The boat was found following an alert on Monday from a local fisherman who found survivors floating at sea, according to the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) in Perak, AFP reported.
