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Indonesian president orders search for victims of sunken boat off Malaysia

Xinhua, September 4, 2015 Adjust font size:

Indonesian presidential palace Friday said President Joko Widodo has ordered Indonesian rescuers to carry out search operations until the victims of a sunken boat off Malaysia are found.

The wooden boat, believed carrying 70 Indonesian migrant workers and heading for Indonesia, capsized Thursday off Malaysia' s western coast.

As of Friday the death toll has risen to 15. Some 19 others have been rescued.

"I have ordered for search operation until the victims are found. Evacuate those who have been discovered," President Widodo said in a statement.

Indonesian rescuers from the national search and rescue office have been conducting the operation and also coordinating with the national police for the identification of the victims.

According to Mohd Eliyas, an official from the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA), there were two possible causes for the accident - overloading and bad weather. Endi