Kuala Lumpur, June 18 (IANS): A boat carrying 97 foreigners overturned early Wednesday off the western coast of Malaysia, an official here said. Sixty people were rescued and two others confirmed dead while at least 35 people were still missing.
The wooden boat capsized near Sungai Air Hitam about two nautical miles off the western coast of Malaysia and the fire and rescue department received a distress call at about 12.24 a.m. Their team reached the scene within 30 minutes, The Star reported.
Mohamad Hambali Yaakup, head of the Port Klang office of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, told a press conference here that those rescued included 47 men, 12 women and one child.
"The two dead were one man and one woman," Xinhua quoted the official as saying.
He said all the passengers were Indonesian nationals, based on the version given by the victims who had been rescued.
The accident happened early Wednesday when weather conditions were windy and the waters were rough, said the official adding that "the boat sank very near the shore".
Mohamad Hambali said 10 boats, one helicopter and 91 rescue personnel were engaged in the search and rescue operation.