Rescuers searching for missing migrants after boat sinks off Malaysia recover 5 more bodies

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Malaysian rescuers searching for dozens of people still missing after a boat carrying migrants from Myanmar capsized last week recovered five more bodies on Monday, bringing the death toll to 12.

The bodies of two men, two women and a boy were found in waters off northern Langkawi island, close to the Thailand border, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency said.

First Adm. Romli Mustafa said in a statement that an estimated 70 people were on board the capsized boat, based on survivors’ account. Of those, 13 have been rescued over the past two days, with dozens still missing.

Officials said a larger vessel carrying some 300 people departed from the town of Buthidaung, in Myanmar’s Rakhine state. The passengers were believed to have been split into three smaller boats once the vessel neared Malaysia. One of the boats was believed to have sank near Tarutao island in southern Thailand on Thursday.

The timing and exact location of the incident is not known. The fate of the other two boats is also unclear, officials said.

Malaysian rescuers supported by air surveillance scoured a wider area on Monday, and will continue their operation Tuesday,

Authorities have said some of those rescued were Rohingya Muslims, from Myanmar, where they have faced persecution for decades. Malaysia is a popular destination for Rohingya seeking to enter illegally because of its dominant Malay Muslim population.

Malaysia has accepted Rohingya in the past on humanitarian grounds but has tried to limit their numbers, fearing a mass influx of people arriving on boats. In January, Malaysian authorities turned away two boats carrying nearly 300 people believed to be Rohingya refugees.

There are around 117,670 Rohingya registered with the U.N.’s refugee agency in Malaysia — about 59% of the total refugee population in the country.