Jakarta. Malaysian rescue teams have officially ended their search operations for a migrant boat accident that killed 16 Indonesians. 

The boat was carrying tens of undocumented Indonesians when it capsized off the island of Pangkor in Perak last week.

The operations, which ended on Saturday, had found 39 victims, according to Heni Hamidah, the director for citizen protection at the Foreign Ministry. As many as 23 individuals survived the accident, while 16 other people lost their lives.

“At first, the Malaysian authorities reported that there were 37 passengers on board, based on their interview with the surviving crewmember. Fourteen of them had gone missing, but it turns out the number of victims had risen to 39,” Heni said on Monday.

The survivors had come from different parts of Indonesia, including Aceh, Banten, and West Nusa Tenggara, among others. 

Many Indonesians attempt to illegally enter Malaysia via sea routes to look for better job opportunities.