Death Toll Hits 18 As Five More Bodies Recovered In Migrant Boat Tragedy

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Five more bodies — including that of a young boy — were recovered today, raising the death toll from the Langkawi migrant boat tragedy to 18. - NSTP/ WAN NABIL NASIR.LANGKAWI: Five more bodies — including that of a young boy — were recovered today, raising the death toll from the Langkawi migrant boat tragedy to 18.
The latest discoveries were made at several points along the Malaysian side of the Malaysia–Thailand maritime boundary as search teams widened their operation.
Kedah and Perlis Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) director First Admiral Romli Mustafa said the first body, that of a boy, was found at 12.47pm, about two nautical miles southwest of Tanjung Belua.
"Minutes later, a Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) vessel discovered the body of an adult man drifting at sea, which was brought to the MMEA jetty. Shortly after, the Fire and Rescue Department found the body of a woman three nautical miles northwest of Pulau Rebak Besar, which was transported to the Harbour Park jetty," he said in a statement today.
At 3.31pm, RMN assets detected another woman's body, which was transferred to the MMEA jetty, followed by the discovery of a fifth victim — a man — by the marine police in nearby waters.
All the bodies have been handed over to the police for further action.
Romli said the search area had now expanded to 255.66 square nautical miles, supported by sea and air assets from the MMEA, the navy, marine police, Fire and Rescue Department, and Civil Defence Force.
The operation was suspended at 7.30pm due to worsening sea conditions and poor visibility and will resume at first light tomorrow.
The victims are believed to be part of a group of about 70 undocumented migrants who had transferred to a smaller boat after departing Myanmar aboard a "mother vessel" carrying roughly 300 people.
The migrants were reportedly split into three boats — the mother vessel and two smaller craft — as they approached the border zone.
All 13 survivors have been detained and are being investigated under Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act for not possessing valid travel documents.
The tragedy comes amid the ongoing Rohingya humanitarian crisis, marked by persecution, conflict, and instability in Myanmar — driving families to undertake perilous journeys aboard overcrowded, unseaworthy boats in search of safety.
The United Nations has long described the Rohingya as among the "most persecuted people in the world." - NST

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