Six Indonesians drown off Malaysia coast

Illustrative image. (Photo: Reuters/VNA)

Kuala Lumpur (VNA) - Six Indonesian women drowned off Malaysia after their boat capsized during a suspected attempt to enter the country illegally, a senior Malaysian official has said.

Their bodies were found on January 18 afternoon after the boat carrying 13 undocumented Indonesians coming from Batam island ran into trouble off Malaysia's southern Johor state.

Senior coastguard official Nurul Hizam Zakaria said in a statement that fishermen reported the incident after finding six survivors not far from the coast. Authorities and fishermen then found another survivor and the six drowned women before calling off a search before 4pm.

Nurul Hizam said that two persons presumed to be boat owners were handed over to police on suspicion of people smuggling.

The incident came a month after 21 Indonesian migrants lost their lives after their boat capsized off Johor. 

Indonesians seeking work sometimes try to illegally enter neighbouring Malaysia via sea crossings, but accidents occasionally happen due to bad weather.

Malaysia is seen as the "promised land" for workers in poorer countries in Asia. Millions of people from these countries have come to Malaysia to work with the desire to change their lives. Many of them are illegal immigrants and they work in industries including construction and agriculture./.