Ship Sinks in Malaysian Waters, 7 Indonesians Dead

Seven Indonesian citizens (WNI) have been declared dead after going missing in a ship sinking incident in the waters off Pulau Pangkor, Perak, Malaysia, on Monday (11/5/2026). This was directly announced by the Republic of Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Kemenlu RI).

The Director of Protection for Indonesian Citizens at the Republic of Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Kemlu RI), Heni Hamidah, stated that the seven WNI were found dead during the search process.

“From the 14 WNI who were previously in the search process, 7 have been found dead and are currently at a hospital in Perak for identification and further handling by local authorities,” Heni said in a written statement, quoted from CNNIndonesia, on Thursday (14/5/2026).

Heni added that the other seven WNI have not yet been found and are still in the search process.

For context, the ship carrying 37 WNI sank in the waters off Pulau Pangkor on Monday. Twenty-three WNI were successfully rescued, while the other 14 went missing.

The WNI are suspected of intending to enter the neighbouring country for work purposes.

The Head of the Perak Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA), Mohamad Shukri Khotob, said that initial investigation results show that dozens of WNI departed from Kisaran City, North Sumatra, on 9 May, with destinations including Penang, Terengganu, Selangor, and Kuala Lumpur.

Based on Heni’s statement, most of the WNI did not have valid travel documents.

“Kemlu will send a team to trace the victims’ families, who are suspected to be from the North Sumatra region. This is for the purposes of identifying surviving and deceased victims, as well as preparing related documents for further handling,” Heni said.

The Indonesian Embassy (KBRI) in Kuala Lumpur is coordinating with the Malaysian Maritime Police for handling the WNI victims of the accident. KBRI will provide consular facilitation and travel documents for the WNI as needed.

“Kemlu expresses deep concern over this incident and urges the public not to use non-procedural or illegal routes to work abroad,” Heni stated.