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Police and the maritime agency said the passengers were believed to have been split into three smaller boats once the vessel neared Malaysia. One of the boats was believed to have sank near Tarutao island in southern Thailand on Thursday, and some of the victims drifted into Malaysia's northern resort island of Langkawi, the authorities said.

The timing and exact location of the incident is not known. The fate of the other two boats is also unclear, officials said.

Local media quoted the Kedah state police chief in northern Malaysia, Adzli Abu Shah, as saying that some of those rescued were , from for decades. Romli warned in a statement that cross-border syndicates are becoming increasingly active in exploiting migrants using perilous sea routes.

The maritime agency said rescuers found 10 migrants and recovered the body of a woman from the sea on Saturday. Another six bodies were discovered Sunday as well as three survivors, it said, adding it has expanded the area of the search that will continue on Monday.

The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees urged regional governments to step up search and rescue efforts and take action to prevent such tragedies.

So far this year, some 5,200 Rohingya refugees have embarked on dangerous maritime journeys, with nearly 600 reported to be missing or dead, said UNHCR spokesman Diogo Alcantara.

In January, Malaysian authorities turned away two boats carrying nearly 300 people believed to be Muslim Rohingya refugees who were trying to enter the country illegally. Malaysia is a popular destination because of its dominant Malay Muslim population.

Malaysia has accepted Rohingya in the past on humanitarian grounds but has tried to limit their numbers, fearing a mass influx of people arriving on boats. There are around 117,670 Rohingya refugees registered with the UNHCR in Malaysia — about 59% of the total refugee population in the country.

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