Death toll from boat tragedy in Malaysia rises to 61

Kuala Lumpur: A Malaysian official says the death toll from a wooden boat that capsized last week with Indonesian migrant workers off the country's western coast has risen to 61.

Another 20 Indonesians have been rescued.

Maritime official Mohamad Hambali Yaakup says rescuers have retrieved the bodies of 37 men, 23 women and that of a young girl.

The boat was believed to have been taking migrant workers home to Tanjung Balai in Indonesia's Sumatra province when it sank Thursday in bad sea conditions, not far from the coast of Sabak Bernam town in central Selangor state.

Hambali said today that the search operation will continue. Such incidents are common in Malaysia, which has up to 2 million Indonesian migrants working illegally.