Christians Urged to Pray for 32 Missing Indonesians After Boat Sinks off Malaysia Coast

By Leah Marianne Klett 18 Jun, 2014 21:29 EDT

Malaysia Search and Rescue — Malaysian search and rescue personnel gather to plan for the conduct of a search mission on the outskirt of Banting, Malaysia, Wednesday, June 18, 2014. www.foxnews.com

Christian missionaries in Indonesia are calling upon the international community to pray, as 5 Indonesians were pronounced dead and 35 still missing after a boat capsized a short distance from Malaysia's west coast.

"Please pray for those still missing in this tragic accident," says Micheal Viveros, an American missionary currently pastoring a small village church in Jakarta, Indonesia.

"This is a very sad time for our community. We urge Christians around the world to pray that they will be found alive, and for the Lord to send comfort to the victim's families."

Fox News reports that the boat, which was carrying 97 passengers, sank shortly after midnight about 2 nautical miles from shore on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur while trying to leave Malaysia illegally for Aceh province in Indonesia, said agency official Mohamad Hambali Yaakup.

Yaakup said at least 60 passengers survived the shipwreck, including 12 women and a child. Among those dead were a woman and four men, he added. The passengers are thought to be illegal immigrants heading home ahead of the start of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan.

Survivors are currently being questioned by police and immigration authorities. In the meantime, a ship, eight boats and a helicopter were searching for further survivors. Police Superintendent Azman Abdul Razak said 100 personnel were involved in the rescue effort.

Mohamad Hambali says while authorities are still uncertain as to what caused the boat to sink, some survivors say the boat was overcrowded and leaking.

Fox News reports that tens of thousands of Indonesians work illegally in plantations and other industries in Malaysia, often risking dangerous journeys in unseaworthy or poorly equipped boats to return home.

In recent years, the number of migrant worker deaths resulting from shipwrecks has sharply increased.

Earlier this month, the U.S. Navy rescued 282 African migrants from six small vessels in the Mediterranean Sea after one of the boats began to sink. Last October, more than 300 African migrants were killed in a shipwreck off Lampedusa , shocking the world and prompting lawmakers to review their migration policies.

The area the boat sank is in the Strait of Malacca directly across from Indonesia.

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Christians Urged to Pray for 32 Missing Indonesians After Boat Sinks off Malaysia Coast

Survey: Hong Kong teens generally identify with traditional Chinese cultural values

Many American churchgoers expect their pastors’ sermons to help them understand and address modern cultural issues American churchgoers are looking for more than biblical explanation from their pastor each week. Many expect the sermons to help them understand and address modern cultural issues.

Survey: Hong Kong teens generally identify with traditional Chinese cultural values

Global Lutherans celebrate Reformation Day, ‘trusting in the power of grace in a merciless time’.

Many American churchgoers expect their pastors’ sermons to help them understand and address modern cultural issues

2.1M Korean Christians estimated at joint worship service to affirm family, oppose gay marriage, pray for nation

Many American churchgoers expect their pastors’ sermons to help them understand and address modern cultural issues
American churchgoers are looking for more than biblical explanation from their pastor each week. Many expect the sermons to help them understand and address modern cultural issues.