REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, KUALA LUMPUR -- The death toll in a boat accident off the Batu Layar coast, Johor, Malaysia, has reached 11, comprising seven Indonesian women and four men.
"This morning, several bodies were found at the accident site," Indonesian Consul General to Johor Bahru Taufiqur Rijal informed Antara, here, Monday.
The ill-fated boat, carrying some 60 Indonesian workers on their way back home from Malaysia to the Indonesian island of Batam, sank in the Johor waters on Sunday.
Rijal said 44 Indonesians were found safe in the Batu Layar coast.
The consulate general has been coordinating with the Malaysian authorities to obtain information on the latest developments related to the accident.
"We will continue to report the developments concerning the boat mishap," he remarked.
The protection task force of the Indonesian consulate general has arrived at the scene.
The task force has held a meeting with the Johor immigration authorities. Both sides have agreed to repatriate the survivors to Indonesia without having to undergo the legal process, he added.