(MENAFN) At least seven people have died after a boat carrying undocumented migrants sank near the Thailand-Malaysia border, officials reported. Thirteen survivors were rescued, but hundreds remain missing. The vessel was part of a group of around 300 migrants, mostly Rohingyas, who departed Myanmar’s Rakhine state two weeks ago before splitting from a larger boat into smaller ones, according to Malaysian maritime authorities.

The capsized boat went down near Langkawi Island, and rescue operations have now expanded the search area from 170 to 256 square nautical miles, with authorities expecting efforts to continue for seven days. Among the dead, a Rohingya woman was found floating on Sunday. Of the 13 rescued, 11 are Rohingyas and two are Bangladeshis. The sunken vessel reportedly carried about 70 people, while the fate of other boats in the group remains “unclear.”

The Rohingyas, a predominantly Muslim minority in Myanmar, have long faced persecution and are denied citizenship. Since a 2017 military crackdown, hundreds of thousands have fled to Bangladesh, though conditions there have led many to attempt dangerous sea journeys to Malaysia, considered by some as a safer destination.

Authorities say migrants often pay over $3,000 per person for such passages on overcrowded, poorly equipped boats lacking water and sanitation. Many vessels do not reach Malaysia, and passengers face the risk of drowning, detention, or deportation.

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