About 300 suspected migrants were rescued by the Singapore authorities after their boat started sinking in the waters near a few Southeast Asian countries, according to AP.
The Sri Lanka navy said that a Sri Lankan on the boat made a distress call for help, contacting their country’s navy.
The Sri Lanka navy then proceeded to seek help from Singapore, Vietnam and the Philippines; and Singapore then responded to the call for help.
Singapore later told Sri Lanka that the victims were rescued and heading to Vietnam.
They are aware that there is at least one Sri Lankan on the boat, with the rest of the inhabitants to be identified after they land in Vietnam.
Some Sri Lankans are fleeing their country’s economic crisis by illegally migrating to other countries, and they have in the past taken illegal and dangerous journeys to escape their civil war.