The death toll in the recent Afghan immigrant boat mishap in Halang Island waters, Kubu sub district, Rokan Hilir (Rohil) district, Riau Province, has risen to 19, ANTARA reported. The boat carrying 36 illegal immigrants from Afghanistan capsized in the waters in Riau, Sumatra, on Thursday (May 28), leaving 19 dead, 16 survivors, and 1 still missing, Ashari, head of the Bagan Siapiapi immigration office, said on Monday. "It is believed one immigrant is still missing," he said. The surviving 16 Afghan people were currently being accommodated at the local immigration office, while the 19 dead bodies were buried in Bagan Siapiapi, he said. The Afghan immigrants were now under the supervision of the International Migration Organization (IMO) and the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees). "We consider them as illegal immigrants, not as refugees, because they entered the country illegally and without having the required immigration documents," he said. Since the sea accident, five boats including those from the Indonesian Navy, Water Police and the transportation ministry, had been mobilized to look for the missing passengers. It was believed the boat capsized after hitting one of the poles of a fish trap in Kubu Island waters when it was dark and the air was filled by haze making the boat skipper unable to see the pole. Local fishermen found the survivors floating in the sea.
