Dozens missing after boat sinks off Malaysia

A wooden boat carrying 97 Indonesian migrants capsized and sank after leaving Malaysia's west coast, and rescuers scrambled to save 66 people still missing, Malaysia's maritime agency said Wednesday.

Mohamad Zuhri, spokesman for the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA), told AFP that 31 had been rescued after the overnight disaster off Port Klang near Banting.

"The Indonesians were trying to enter Malaysia illegally by crossing the Malacca Straits," he said, referring to the busy shipping lane between Malaysia and Indonesia's Sumatra island.

The boat sank not far from shore, offering hope that more survivors might have made it to land, said Mohamad Hambali Yaakup, head of the MMEA office at Port Klang, Malaysia's main port.

"It sank close to land," he said. "We believe the boat was overcrowded and the sea was rough during the incident."

Authorities said five vessels and a helicopter were searching for survivors.

Another official, who declined to be named because he was not authorized to speak to the media told the Associated Press that the Indonesians, including women and children, were believed to be heading home ahead of the start of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan.

Relatively affluent Malaysia, Southeast Asia's third-largest economy, is a magnet for migrant workers from poorer neighbors such as Indonesia, Bangladesh, and Myanmar.

Around two million illegal immigrants are estimated to be working in the country of 28 million people.

Accidents are frequent as thousands risk the sea journey in rickety boats to seek low-paying work — typically shunned by Malaysians — on plantations, construction sites and in factories.

Indonesians, by far the most numerous among the illegal migrants, often add to the risk by crossing the Malacca Strait at night to avoid detection.

Al Jazeera and wire services