JAKARTA (BERNAMA) – A wooden boat carrying 90 illegal immigrants heading for Malaysia capsized off the coast of North Sumatra, Indonesia after it sprung a leak in the early hours on Saturday.
Two of the victims had died and the remaining including the boat skipper and crew were rescued by fishermen and the country’s National Search and Rescue Agency (BASARNAS).
The rescue operation was completed yesterday at around 11am Western Indonesian time.
The shipwreck took place at about 31km east of Panton Bagan Port in Asahan district, commander of BASARNAS Asahan Tanjung, Ady Pandawa said.
He was quoted by local media as saying that an overloaded boat believed to be carrying people from Sumtara, East Java, Madura and East Nusa Tenggara.
