Dozens missing after migrant boat heading to Malaysia sinks

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DHAKA: An overloaded fishing trawler carrying migrants to Malaysia sank in strong currents off the coast of Bangladesh yesterday with tens of passengers missing, officials said.

Emergency workers rescued about 32 Bangladeshis in the Bay of Bengal after the boat capsized some 2.5 km offshore, police and the coastguard said.

Several passengers also managed to swim to shore, but dozens of others were still unaccounted for, although the exact figure was not known, the coast guard commander said. Estimates varied on the total number of passengers, with police saying 60 were on board, but private TV station Somoy putting the figure as high as 100. The boat hit strong currents in a treacherous sea channel shortly after leaving a coastal town near the southern port city of Chittagong, Hassan said.

It sank near the Bangladeshi island of Kutubdia where coastguard officers and police were now scouring the waters for victims. — AFP