International

Death toll in Malaysia migrant shipwreck rises to 13

Published

4 months ago

November 10, 2025

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Authorities in Malaysia and Thailand have recovered at least 13 bodies and are continuing to search for survivors after a boat carrying undocumented migrants capsized off the coast of Thailand’s Tarutao Island, officials said on Monday.

The vessel, which was carrying around 70 migrants — many believed to be members of Myanmar’s persecuted Rohingya minority — overturned four days ago while attempting to reach Malaysia.

Police said the passengers were part of a larger group of about 300 people who had set out in at least two boats from Myanmar roughly two weeks ago. The second boat has since been reported missing.

Tarutao Island lies just north of Malaysia’s popular Langkawi resort island, where rescue operations have been concentrated.

Romli Mustafa, Director of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) for the northern states of Kedah and Perlis, said that rescuers had so far recovered seven bodies, all identified as Rohingya.

“Thai authorities are also conducting search-and-rescue operations, where they have found six bodies,” Romli told reporters. “We expect to find more victims today,” he added, noting that strong currents were likely to carry additional bodies into Malaysian waters.

At least 13 people — mostly Rohingya and Bangladeshis — have been rescued alive, according to Malaysian police. Langkawi Police Chief Khairul Azhar Nuruddin said six of the dead were identified as Rohingya women and one as a young girl.

Romli said at least 12 vessels are currently involved in search efforts across a 250-square-nautical-mile area, roughly the size of Singapore.

The tragedy highlights the growing dangers faced by Rohingya refugees fleeing persecution in Myanmar, often through perilous sea routes facilitated by human trafficking syndicates.

“Cross-border syndicates are increasingly exploiting vulnerable migrants, turning them into victims of human trafficking using high-risk sea routes,” Romli said, noting that traffickers charge as much as $3,500 per person for passage.

Malaysia, one of Southeast Asia’s more prosperous nations, is home to millions of migrant workers, many of whom are undocumented and employed in construction, agriculture, and domestic service.

Deadly boat disasters are not uncommon in the region. In December 2021, more than 20 migrants drowned off Malaysia’s coast in one of the worst incidents in recent years.

Authorities say search operations will continue in both Thai and Malaysian waters as the death toll is expected to rise.

Related Topics:Featured Malaysia Death Toll Shipwreck

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International

Trump says he thinks Putin is helping Iran

“I think he might be helping them a bit, yeah.”“I guess, and he probably thinks we’re helping Ukraine, right?”

Published

4 days ago

March 13, 2026

OCHEFA

64 Views

President Donald Trump on Friday said he believed that Russian leader Vladimir Putin is helping Iran in its war against the United States and Israel.

According to CNBC, Trump’s comment came in a radio interview with Fox News host Brian Kilmeade, and a week after the president lashed out at Fox News reporter Peter Doocy for asking him at the White House about reports that Russia was aiding Iran.

Kilmeade asked Trump on Friday: “You think Putin is helping them?”

Trump replied, “I think he might be helping them a bit, yeah.”“I guess, and he probably thinks we’re helping Ukraine, right?” Trump continued.

“Yeah, we’re helping them also,” Trump said, referring to Ukraine, which has been at war against Russia since being invaded in early 2022.

“So he [Putin] says that, and China would say the same thing, you know,” Trump told Kilmeade.

“It’s like, ‘Hey, they do it, and we do it, in all fairness,’ ” Trump said. “They do it, and we do it.”

International

IEA agrees to release record 400 million barrels of oil to address Iran war supply disruptions

The IEA did not set out a timeline for when the stocks would hit the market

Published

6 days ago

March 11, 2026

OCHEFA

94 Views

Merchant ship on fire hits by Iran in Strait of Hormuz.

The International Energy Agency on Wednesday agreed to release 400 million barrels of oil to address the supply disruption triggered by the Iran war, the largest such action in the organization’s history.

The IEA did not set out a timeline for when the stocks would hit the market.

It said that the reserves would be released over a time frame that is appropriate to the circumstances of each of its 32 member countries.

IEA members are primarily advanced economies in Europe, North America and northeast Asia. The organization is tasked with maintaining global energy security.

It was founded in 1974 in response to the oil embargo imposed by Arab producers over U.S. support for Israel during the 1973 Arab-Israeli war.

(CNBC)

International

Iran tells world to get ready for oil at $200 a barrel as it fires on merchant ships

The war unleashed with joint U.S. and Israeli air strikes nearly two weeks ago has so far killed around 2,000 people, mostly Iranians and Lebanese, as it has spread into ‌Lebanon and thrown global energy markets and transport into chaos.

Published

6 days ago

March 11, 2026

OCHEFA

93 Views

(REUTERS): Iran said the world should be ready for oil at $200 a barrel as its forces hit merchant ships on Wednesday and the International Energy Agency recommended a massive release of strategic reserves to dampen one of the worst oil shocks since the 1970s.

Despite what the Pentagon has described as the most intense airstrikes since the start of the war, Iran also fired at Israel and targets across the Middle East on Wednesday, demonstrating it can still fight back.

On Wednesday, three vessels were reported to have been hit in Gulf waters as Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said their forces had fired on ships in the Gulf that had disobeyed their orders.

While Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz said the operation “will continue without any time limit, as long as required, until we achieve all objectives and win the campaign,” Trump suggested the campaign would not last much longer.