Malaysian authorities have stepped up a search for survivors from a boat that sank while crammed with Indonesian migrants, killing 15.
The count of victims increased from 14 with the recovery of another body from the Malacca Strait, while four more passengers were rescued, said Mohamad Aliyas Hamdan, a Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency official.
That brought the number rescued so far to 19.
Aliyas said four aircraft were scouring seas in the area, and 12 ships have been deployed in hopes of finding more survivors.
Officials have said the overcrowded wooden vessel capsized and sank in rough seas about 16 kilometres off the coast of central Malaysia's Selangor state in the pre-dawn hours of Thursday (local time).
"They were leaving Malaysia to return to Indonesia," said Aliyas.
He said the dead included two men and 13 women.
The exact number of people on board remains unconfirmed.
Aliyas said local fishermen, who were initially on the scene and rescued some survivors, said there may have been up to 100 passengers.
Prime Minister Najib Razak issued a statement expressing his condolences.
AFP
