ISTANBUL

At least 13 people have been confirmed dead and 13 others rescued on Monday after a boat carrying dozens of migrants, mostly Rohingya, capsized near the maritime border between Malaysia and Thailand.

According to Malaysia’s state-run news agency Bernama, seven bodies were recovered by Malaysian authorities, while Thai officials found six others.

"We expect to discover more victims today, as sea current patterns in the search area indicate that they are drifting towards Malaysian waters," Maritime 1st Adm. Romli Mustafa told reporters Monday.

He added that the search and rescue operation has been expanded to cover more than 250 square nautical miles.

The group of migrants had reportedly departed from Myanmar on a large vessel carrying around 300 people, which later transferred passengers to three smaller boats. One of those boats subsequently capsized, while the fate of the other two remains unknown, according to media reports on Sunday.

The Rohingya, a mostly Muslim minority in Myanmar, face abuse, discrimination, and statelessness, often fleeing from Myanmar.

Myanmar has been gripped by civil war since the 2021 military coup, with ongoing ethnic clashes worsening the humanitarian crisis.