KUALA LUMPUR
Malaysia’s maritime agency has launched a search and rescue operation for 14 people missing after a boat believed to be carrying undocumented Indonesian migrants sank off its western coast. A fisherman alerted authorities after discovering victims floating in the waters off Pangkor island, Perak state maritime director Mohamad Shukri Khotob said in a statement. A local fishing vessel rescued 23 Indonesians, including seven women, who were escorted to a marine police jetty for documentation and further investigations, Mohamad Shukri said. Initial investigations found that the sunken boat, carrying 37 people, had departed from Kisaran, Indonesia on May 9 with its passengers headed for several Malaysian destinations including the capital Kuala Lumpur and Penang island in the northwest.