Overcrowded Boat Sinks Off Malaysia's Coast; 8 Dead And 28 Missing

An overcrowded boat carrying Indonesian immigrants sank off the coast of Malaysia on Wednesday, leaving eight passengers dead and dozens missing.

The wooden boat carrying the immigrants, who are believed to be illegal, just left Carey Island on Malaysia's west coast a little after midnight when it sank, Reuters reported.

Officials said the 97-passenger boat was most likely overloaded at the time of the sinking.

"We believe the boat was overcrowded and the sea was rough during the incident," Mohammed Hambali Yaakup, from the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, told AFP.

One woman and seven men are dead, officials told the Associated Press. A helicopter and several vessels are conducting a search for the 28 missing.

A total of 60 passengers, including women and one child, were rescued. Authorities are hopeful of finding more survivors due to the shallow area in the water where the boat sank.

"It is likely that survivors could have swum ashore and went into hiding since they have no legal documents here," Yaakup told Reuters.

Yaakup also told Reuters that the survivors were all arrested under Malaysia's immigration laws.

Officials said the vessel, which was most likely headed for the island of Sumatra in Indonesia, did not have enough life jackets and other safety equipment. The boat is also suspected to be part of a human-smuggling operation.

"This was an illegal boat and all of the passengers were Indonesian," Mohamad Zuri, also from MMEA, told Reuters.

The passengers are believed to have been on their way home before the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

An estimated 2 million undocumented immigrants currently live in Malaysia, which has one of the largest economies in Southeast Asia and a population of 29 million. Indonesians arrive with the hope of finding work because the wages are higher than back home, according to USA Today.

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