Boat carrying 200 sinks off Australia – over 75 asylum seekers perish

A boat believed to be carrying about 200 asylum seekers to Australia has capsized off the remote Christmas Island. More than 75 are reported killed.

 Foreign Agency reports said that this was the most serious disaster to have occurred very recently while carrying illegal immigrants to Australia. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority said that the ship issued a distress call mid-afternoon and capsized 200km of the Indian Ocean territory, some 2,600km from the Australian mainland. Australian police said that early reports suggested up to 75 asylum seekers had died after the boat capsized en route from Sri Lanka.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority said it can confirm that there are survivors but cannot confirm numbers at this stage. The Indonesian search and rescue authorities are coordinating the response.

The Search and Rescue effort directed at the boat known to have capsized is being led by Indonesia with support from Australia. Two aircraft had been deployed including one equipped with life rafts. Rescue helicopters have already confirmed that more than 75 had died in this incident.

So far this year 62 vessels carrying 4,484 boatpeople have been intercepted off Australia, an unprecedented number in a six-month period.