JOHOR BARU, Feb 1 – Eight people drowned while 11 others were rescued when their boat capsized off Teluk Semayong, near Kota Tinggi. Six more are missing.

All of them are believed to be foreigners.

Kota Tinggi Police Chief Supt Che Mahazan Che Aik said the boat was believed to be illegally ferrying men from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq to a neighbouring country when it capsized.

He said the bodies of the eight have been sent to the Kota Tinggi Hospital for post-mortem, while rescue operations were underway to find the missing six.