Death toll climbs to 43 in boat capsizal off Malaysia

Members of Malaysian Fire and Resque deparment prepare a boat for the dead bodies of immigrant during a search and resque (SAR) operation at the Jetty of Hutan Melintang in Malaysia's western state of Perak on Sept 4, 2015 in Hutan Melintang, Malaysia.[Photo/CFP]

KUALA LUMPUR - The death toll of a boat which capsized off the Malaysian coast has risen to 43 on Sunday after another 14 bodies were spotted in the sea, according to the local media.

New Straits Times, a Malaysian English-language newspaper, quoted a police officer as saying that two of the bodies had been brought onshore at about 10 am (0200 GMT) and the rest were expected be retrieved in the next few hours.

He said the bodies were found about 8 nautical miles from the spot where the over-loaded boat was believed to have capsized on Thursday.

It also said the capsized boat, which was believed to be carrying between 70 and 80 people when the tragedy happened, could only accommodate between 10 and 15 passengers.

The boat capsized early Thursday off Malaysia's western coast in the Malacca Strait, and most of the passengers were believed to be Indonesian migrants.