Sarikei police chief Aswandy Anis said an early investigation found that the fibreglass boat was not designed to carry 17 people or the extra baggage it had, Kosmo reported.

“The small boat became hard to control and sank after it encountered rough waves,” he said at a press conference after a search-and-rescue operation this morning.

The Sarawak fire and rescue department said rescuers had found five more victims in the morning, bringing the total number of casualties to 10.

A spokesman said the bodies of the victims – all Indonesian nationals – were recovered by villagers as well as the Sarawak coast guard.

In the incident at about 2pm on Saturday, the fibreglass boat carrying 17 Indonesian nationals from the Kampung Belawai fishermen’s jetty capsized en route to the Zion Pelita coconut plantation jetty.

The seven survivors comprised four men, two women and a boy.

Aswandy reminded boat operators and residents to priortise  safety while travelling in both the rivers and the sea.

“Don’t take safety lightly. Even rivers can see sudden strong waves,” he said.