According to the news report eighteen people were rescued but as many as 21 others were missing after a boat sank late Sunday in remote seas off Australia’s Cocos Islands. Australian Customs and Border Protection Service officials confirmed that a fishing vessel and a commercial ship responded to an alert by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority after the boat sank about 11:15 p.m. Sunday (1515 GMT).
A spokeswoman for the customs and border agency informed that the sinking occurred about 350 nautical miles northwest of the Cocos Islands, an Australian territory in the Indian Ocean off Australia’s west coast. The agency also said that by early Monday, the customs and border agency had received reports from commercial vessels in the area that at least 18 people had been rescued. First it was believed that 39 people had been on the boat when it sank. However, the Australian authorities have not released the details about the boat, its port of origin, destination, and the people aboard.
