Transport Ship Carrying 37 Indonesian Citizens Sinks off Perak, Malaysia, 7 Dead

Director of WNI Protection at the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Heni Hamidah, stated that 23 individuals were successfully rescued from the ship sinking incident on Monday morning (11/5) local time. In addition to the seven fatalities, seven others remain unaccounted for. “Of the 14 Indonesian citizens previously under search, seven have been found deceased, and their bodies are currently at a hospital in Perak for identification and further handling by local authorities,” Heni said in a written statement, as reported by Antara on Wednesday (13/5/2026). The missing victims are still being searched for by Malaysian SAR authorities. The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs will send a team to trace the victims’ families, who are suspected to be from North Sumatra. Most of the Indonesian citizens involved in the accident did not carry valid travel documents, which is complicating the identification process. “This is for the purpose of identifying the surviving and deceased victims, as well as preparing related documents for further handling,” Heni explained. She assured that the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur is continuously coordinating with Malaysian maritime police for the handling of the affected Indonesian citizens. The embassy will also provide consular assistance and travel documents to the surviving Indonesian citizens as needed, she added. Following this incident, the Director of WNI Protection at the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has once again urged the public not to use non-procedural or illegal routes for travelling or working abroad. It was explained that the 23 Indonesian citizens rescued from the ship accident by the Malaysian SAR team consist of 16 men and seven women, aged 21 to 48 years. All surviving victims have been taken to the Operations Headquarters of the Marine Police Force in Kampung Acheh, Perak, before being handed over to the relevant authorities for further handling. According to statements from Malaysian maritime authorities, the victims are believed to have departed from Kisaran, North Sumatra, Indonesia, on Saturday (9/5) heading to Malaysia, with their final destinations estimated to include Penang, Terengganu, Selangor, and Kuala Lumpur.