The boat that sank off Malaysia with 97 Indonesian illegal migrants was likely carrying three times more passengers than it could safely transport, authorities said yeterday as they expanded a search for 26 people who are still missing.
Nine bodies have been found after the vessel, overloaded with people heading home to Indonesia for the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, sank early Tuesday not far from shore off western Malaysia.
Sixty-two people have been rescued and officials believe some of the 26 still missing made it to land and fled the area to avoid being apprehended by police.
Authorities said the boat was believed to measure no more than nine meters (30 feet) long and two meters wide.
“The boat is too small to ferry 97 people. The boat must have been very cramped,” said Mohamad Zuhri, spokesman for the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA).Mohamad said the capacity of a boat of such dimensions was about 30 passengers.
