Migrant vessel sinks off Malaysia-Thailand border, hundreds missing

Hundreds of people remained missing on Sunday after a boat sank near the Thailand–Malaysia border, with Malaysian maritime authorities confirming that ten survivors and one body had been recovered.

First Admiral Romli Mustafa, who heads the maritime authority for Malaysia’s northern states of Kedah and Perlis, said the vessel had departed from Buthidaung, Myanmar, carrying around 300 people, and that more victims could still be at sea three days after the incident.

According to state news agency Bernama, the survivors included three Myanmar nationals, two Rohingya men, and one Bangladeshi man, while the recovered body was identified as a Rohingya woman.

Members of the Muslim Rohingya minority frequently attempt to flee Myanmar, where they face persecution, denial of citizenship, and discrimination from the Buddhist-majority population.

Police said the group had initially travelled on a larger vessel before being told to transfer to three smaller boats—each carrying about 100 people—to evade detection by authorities near Malaysian waters. The fate of the other two boats remains unclear, and search-and-rescue operations continue.

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