Officers evacuate the dead body of Indonesian migrant workers as a speedboat from Malaysia sank off Batam Island, in Teluk Mata Ikan, Batam, Indonesia, November 2, 2016. Antara Foto/MN Kanwa/via REUTERS.
Jakarta: At least 18 people died and 40 were missing on Wednesday after a boat carrying migrant workers capsized off Indonesia's Batam island, Indonesian police said.
The boat, from Johor, sank off Indonesia's Batam island when it was hit by big waves, police said. The passengers were believed to be illegal workers returning to Indonesia.
Thirty-five people were rescued after the accident, said Eko Supriyanto, the head of the search and rescue agency in Tanjung Pinang, the capital of Riau Islands province.
The motorized boat was carrying approximately 93 migrant workers from Malaysia to Batam, an Indonesian island just south of Singapore, he said. (QNA)
