Search on for 14 missing after migrant boat capsizes

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.