Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Death Toll Rises to 26 in Rohingya Shipwreck Near ThailandMalaysia Border

Cross-border searches continue after authorities linked the sinking to a larger voyage from Myanmar that was split into smaller boats near Malaysia.

Overview

  • Malaysia’s maritime agency reported eight more bodies and one additional survivor off Langkawi, bringing its tally to 20 dead — seven men, nine women and four children — and 14 rescued.
  • Thai rescuers recovered six bodies in Satun waters, putting the combined reported death toll at 26 from the capsizing near Koh Tarutao and Langkawi.
  • Officials say the passengers came from a roughly 300‑person journey that departed Buthidaung and was broken into smaller boats near Malaysian waters, with about 70 on the vessel that sank and the fate of others still unclear.
  • Malaysian police opened an investigation under Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act against those rescued as joint sea and air searches continue for additional boats and survivors.
  • UNHCR and IOM called for stronger search-and-rescue capacity and safer access to asylum, and an 18-year-old survivor was found on Langkawi five days after the wreck.