At least one person has died and ten others have been rescued after a boat believed to be carrying nearly 100 undocumented migrants capsized near the maritime border between Malaysia and Thailand, authorities said on Sunday. More than 90 passengers remain missing as search and rescue operations continue.

Over 80 still unaccounted for

According to Malaysia’s national news agency Bernama, the incident occurred in northern Malaysian waters close to the Thai border. The Edge Malaysia reported that the ill-fated vessel was carrying migrants from Myanmar, Bangladesh and the Rohingya community when it sank.

Kedah police chief Datuk Adzli Abu Shah said the vessel was one of three smaller boats that had separated from a larger “mother ship” transporting around 300 people. “About three days ago, as they neared Malaysia’s maritime boundary, the syndicate split the group and transferred them into three smaller boats, each carrying around 90 to 100 people,” Adzli said. “However, the boat carrying about 90 passengers is believed to have capsized, while the other two boats have yet to be located.”

One woman confirmed dead

Authorities confirmed that the deceased was a woman from Myanmar, while the ten survivors include nationals of Myanmar, Bangladesh and members of the Rohingya community. “Three survivors were found on Saturday morning, all men from Myanmar, while another three – two Rohingya and one Bangladeshi – were rescued later the same day,” Adzli said.

Human smuggling suspected

Preliminary investigations suggest the tragedy is linked to a human smuggling syndicate operating in the region. “All 300 individuals from Myanmar, Bangladesh and the Rohingya community are believed to have sailed about three months ago on the mother ship. Further investigations are ongoing,” Adzli said.

The rescued migrants told investigators that each passenger had paid about RM13,000 to traffickers in exchange for passage to Malaysia.

Search efforts underway

A large-scale search and rescue operation involving the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency and the Marine Police Force has been launched to locate the remaining missing passengers and the two untraced boats.

In January, Malaysian authorities turned away two boats carrying nearly 300 people believed to be Muslim Rohingya refugees who were trying to enter the country illegally. Malaysia is a popular destination because of its dominant Malay Muslim population.

Malaysia has accepted Rohingya in the past on humanitarian grounds but has tried to limit their numbers, fearing a mass influx of people arriving on boats.

There are around 117,670 Rohingya refugees registered with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Malaysia – about 59 per cent of the total refugee population in Malaysia.

(With inputs from AP)