(MENAFN) The fatality count reached 12 with 13 survivors following the sinking of a vessel transporting undocumented migrants near the Malaysia-Thailand maritime boundary last week, officials confirmed Tuesday.

Search teams recovered five additional bodies Monday in Kedah state waters, comprising one child, two males and two females, Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) Director for Kedah and Perlis states Romli Mustafa announced in an official statement.

He said that search operations had been suspended at 7:30 p.m. local time due to bad weather and had resumed on Tuesday morning.

Current year statistics document two incidents involving 436 migrants apprehended in waters surrounding Langkawi, a prominent tourism hub in Kedah state. Romli attributed Langkawi's appeal to its proximity—merely 2.5 nautical miles from the Thai frontier—making it an optimal entry point.

"They are not coming to Langkawi to remain here but will be taken to other parts of the country," he said.

Maritime migration attempts correlate strongly with meteorological patterns, he noted. "Therefore, most cases occur at the end and beginning of the year," he said.

The MMEA disclosed that 1,333 unauthorized immigrants attempting entry through the identical region have been intercepted since 2020. Enforcement operations during that timeframe also resulted in detention of 24 vessel captains and crew members for facilitating these crossings.

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