TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that seven Indonesian citizens were found dead after going missing on a boat sinking off Pangkor Island, Perak, Malaysia.
Heni Hamidah, Director of Indonesian Citizen Protection at the Ministry, stated that the boat carrying 37 Indonesian citizens sank on Monday morning, May 11, local time. Twenty-three passengers were rescued, while 14 others were reported missing.
"Of the 14 Indonesian citizens previously searched for, seven have been found dead, and their bodies are currently at a hospital in Perak for identification and treatment by local authorities," Hamidah said in a written statement confirmed in Jakarta on Wednesday, as reported by Antara.
With the discovery of the seven victims, search and rescue authorities in Malaysia continue to look for the remaining seven missing persons, the director added.
To identify the victims, the Ministry will dispatch a team to trace the families of the victims, who are believed to be from North Sumatra. Most of the Indonesian citizens involved in the shipwreck were found to be traveling without valid documents.
"This is for the purposes of identifying survivors and deceased victims, as well as preparing relevant documents for further processing," Heni said.
She confirmed that the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur continues to coordinate with the Malaysian Maritime Police regarding the handling of the victims.
The Indonesian Embassy will also provide consular facilities and travel documents for the surviving Indonesian citizens as needed, she added.
Following the incident, the Director of Indonesian Citizen Protection reiterated an appeal to the public to avoid using non-procedural or illegal routes to travel or work abroad.
The 23 survivors evacuated by the Malaysian SAR team consist of 16 men and seven women, aged between 21 and 48. All of them were taken to the Marine Police Operations Headquarters in Kampung Acheh, Perak, before being handed over to the relevant authorities for further processing.
According to Malaysian maritime authorities, the victims are believed to have departed from Kisaran, North Sumatra, on Saturday, May 9. Their final destinations reportedly included Penang Island, Terengganu, Selangor, and Kuala Lumpur.
Read: Indonesian Migrant Boat Capsizes off Malaysia, 23 Rescued
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