January 19, 2022 5:16 PM

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Six Indonesian women drown off Malaysia coast

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 />''  <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 />''  <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 />''  Authorities and fishermen then found another survivor and the six drowned women before calling off a search before 4:00 pm (0800 GMT).<br />''  <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 />''  The incident comes a month after 21 Indonesian migrants lost their lives after their boat capsized off Johor.<br />''  <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;">        <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 />

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