One body has been recovered and dozens of people remain missing after a boat carrying about 90 passengers capsized near the Thailand-Malaysia border, authorities said on Sunday.

The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) confirmed that at least 10 survivors had been rescued, while search operations continued to locate others still unaccounted for. Officials also said the status of two other boats, reportedly carrying a similar number of people, remains unknown.

Search operation under way near Tarutao Island

The incident reportedly took place near Tarutao Island, just north of Malaysia’s popular resort destination, Langkawi.

“A boat carrying 90 people is believed to have capsized,” local police chief Adzli Abu Shah told reporters. “Rescue operations are ongoing to locate survivors,” he added.

Among those rescued were individuals from Myanmar and Bangladesh, while the deceased was identified as a woman from the same group, according to Malaysia’s national news agency Bernama.

Passengers were transferred to smaller boats to evade detection

Authorities said the group had initially boarded a larger vessel before being transferred into three smaller boats near the border area — a move believed to have been made to avoid detection. Each of the smaller boats reportedly carried close to 100 people.

Reporting from Kuala Lumpur, Al Jazeera’s Rob McBride said a large-scale search and rescue operation is ongoing. “Authorities believe the migrants set off around three days ago from Myanmar’s coastline and were likely trying to reach Malaysia,” he said.

Migration route and ongoing challenges

Malaysia continues to see irregular maritime arrivals of people seeking refuge from conflict or hardship in parts of South and Southeast Asia. Many undertake dangerous sea journeys on overcrowded and unsafe boats, often facilitated by smuggling networks.

Authorities have warned that worsening instability in parts of the region is driving more people to undertake such perilous crossings, sometimes with tragic consequences.

In one of the worst previous incidents, more than 20 people drowned in multiple capsizing events off Malaysia’s coast in 2021.

Search and rescue efforts for the latest tragedy continue, with officials coordinating recovery operations across Malaysian and Thai waters.