18 dead, 43 missing in RI boat tragedy

18 dead, 43 missing in RI boat tragedy

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuter): Eighteen people died and 43 were missing after a boat carrying 87 Indonesian illegal immigrants capsized off the Malaysian coast during a storm, Malaysia's TV3 reported yesterday.

The boat, ferrying its passengers from Tanjung Pinang in Indonesia's Riau islands, capsized when it was hit by big waves two miles off Malaysia's southeast coastal town of Tanjong Balau late on Friday night, it said.

Twenty-six of the boat's passengers managed to swim to safety, the national Bernama news agency reported earlier yesterday, quoting a police spokesman.

The spokesman said the search for more victims was being carried out by Malaysia's Police Field Force, local residents and the Marine Police.