Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Rohingya Boat Disaster Off Malaysia Pushes Death Toll to 32 as Search Reaches Day Five

UN agencies urge expanded sea rescues plus safer routes to protection.

Overview

  • Malaysian and Thai teams have recovered 32 bodies and rescued 14 people after a vessel carrying about 70 migrants capsized near Tarutao and Langkawi.
  • Malaysia’s home minister said the priority is to find anyone still alive, with at least 12 vessels scouring roughly 250 square nautical miles in rough conditions.
  • Officials say the boat split from a larger group of roughly 300 people that departed Buthidaung in Myanmar, and a second vessel reported by police remains unaccounted for.
  • Survivors include 18-year-old Iman Shorif, found days after the sinking, and others rescued by local fishers, with victims identified as predominantly Rohingya.
  • UNHCR and IOM call for stronger regional search-and-rescue and safe disembarkation, as Malaysian police open immigration investigations into those rescued.