Six Indonesian women drowned off Malaysia after their boat capsized during a suspected attempt to enter the country illegally, officials said, in the latest migrant tragedy in the area.<br />''&nbsp; <br />''Their bodies were found Tuesday afternoon after the boat carrying 13 undocumented Indonesians coming from the archipelago's Batam island ran into trouble off Malaysia's southern Johor state.<br />''&nbsp; <br />''Senior coastguard official Nurul Hizam Zakaria said in a Tuesday statement that fishermen reported the incident after finding six survivors not far from the coast.<br />''&nbsp; Authorities and fishermen then found another survivor and the six drowned women before calling off a search before 4:00 pm (0800 GMT).<br />''&nbsp; <br />''Nurul Hizam confirmed that two boat handlers, who were among those aboard the vessel, were handed over to police on suspicion of people smuggling.<br />''&nbsp; The incident comes a month after 21 Indonesian migrants lost their lives after their boat capsized off Johor.<br />''&nbsp; <br />''Indonesians seeking work sometimes try to illegally enter neighbouring Malaysia via risky sea crossings, but accidents occasionally happen due to bad weather.<br />''<span style="color: #222222;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; <br />''Relatively affluent Malaysia is home to millions of migrants from poorer parts of Asia, many of them undocumented, and they work in industries including construction and agriculture.</span><br />
News On AIR | January 19, 2022 5:16 PM
Six Indonesian women drown off Malaysia coast