Death Toll In Migrant Boat Sinking Off Malaysia Rises To 21

The death toll when a boat carrying migrants sank off the coast of Malaysia has risen to 21, local authorities say.

The ship was carrying Rohingya Muslims heading from Myanmar to Malaysia.

According to the BBC, the bodies of 21 dead were found by Malaysian rescuers. The search for the missing continues for the third day.

So far, 13 people have been rescued, but dozens remain wanted.

The migrants initially left Myanmar on a large ship carrying about 300 people, but the carriers later transferred them to three small boats, authorities said. According to preliminary estimates, the sunken boat was carrying about 70 people.

The fate of about 230 migrants on the other two boats is still unknown.

In Southeast Asia, migrants traveling by sea from Myanmar and Bangladesh are often victims of deadly shipwrecks.