KOTA TINGGI (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - The bodies of ten foreigners were found washed up on a beach, while 21 others were rescued after their boat capsized near Tanjung Balau.
They are believed to be undocumented migrants.
A Johor Fire and Rescue Department spokesman said the boat, which carried 60 people before it capsized, was spotted at about 20m from shore at around 7.40am on Wednesday (Dec 15).
"The bodies of four women and six men washed up to shore, while 19 other men and two women were rescued. The boat's 29 other victims are still missing.
A search-and-rescue operation is ongoing to find them," he said.
He added that the Navy assisted in the operation and the initial actions taken were to retrieve the boat to ensure that no victims were still trapped within it.
The director of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA), First Admiral Nurul Hizam Zakaria, said the victims were believed to have entered Malaysian waters illegally before the boat capsized because of bad weather.
"After the Fire and Rescue Department alerted us to the incident, MMEA personnel were deployed to the scene to help in the search-and-rescue effort to find the remaining 29 victims," he said.
"The MMEA despatched an AW139 Agusta aircraft, a KM Tegas patrol boat and Petir 50 boat to track (them) down."
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