Malaysia, with at least one body recovered floating in the sea, 10 rescued, and dozens missing, officials said Sunday. The timing and the exact location where the boat sank were not immediately known. A Malaysian official said the vessel likely capsized in Thai waters, warning that cross-border syndicates are becoming increasingly active in exploiting migrants using perilous sea routes. A police chief said some of those rescued were Rohingya Muslims, who mainly live in Myanmar where they have faced persecution for decades. First Admiral Romli Mustafa, from the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, said a preliminary investigation indicates the boat had departed from the town of Buthidaung, in Myanmar’s Rakhine state. and that it sank three days ago.

The agency launched a search-and-rescue operation on Saturday, after several survivors were found drifting in the waters near Malaysia’s northern resort island of Langkawi. The body of a woman, believed to be from Myanmar, was found floating in the sea, he added. (Jamaica Gleaner)