Twelve people were feared dead on Tuesday more than 24 hours after an unidentified boat sank in rough seas far off Australia’s northwest, an official said.
One body had been recovered and 11 people were still missing in the remote spot 2,700 kilometres (1,700 miles) from Australia’s mainland, a customs spokeswoman told media. Some 27 survivors had been picked up by a passing tanker.
Two bodies sighted in the water have yet to be recovered, a news agency said early Wednesday.
Authorities have not confirmed whether the 39 people on the stricken boat, which went down overnight on Sunday, were bidding to join the more than 1,700 asylum-seekers who have made the perilous voyage to Australia this year.
“Obviously, considering the amount of time they’ve been in the water, there are concerns for their safety. But we’ll keep looking,” the customs official said of the missing.
Choppy seas continued to hamper the search by the Bahamas-registered LNG Pioneer, which diverted to the scene after a plea by Australian authorities and has now been joined by a Japanese fishing boat.
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