At least 14 people died and 19 have been rescued after a wooden boat crammed with scores of people capsized Thursday morning in the Malacca Strait, off the coast of Selangor, Reuters reported a high officer from Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) as saying.
MMEA dispatched a patrol boat from the Klang Maritime District to the scene after local fishermen spotted the capsized boat off Sabak Bernam around 10:30 am local time, and alerted the authorities.
MMEA teams and local fishermen have managed to rescue 19 people so far, but for 13 women and one man the help reportedly came too late.
The authorities say that the boat had the capacity to carry 70 people, although local fishermen were reported as saying that they estimated up to 100 people to have been onboard the wooden boat.
The boat was reportedly carrying illegal immigrants to Sumatra, Indonesia.
World Maritime News Staff