The 2012 Indian Ocean migrant boat disaster occurred on 21 June 2012, when a boat carrying more than 200 refugees capsized in the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or approximately 20% of the water area of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia (continent), ...

between the Indonesian island of

Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...

and the Australian external territory of

Christmas Island Christmas Island, officially the Territory of Christmas Island, is an States and territories of Australia#External territories, Australian external territory in the Indian Ocean comprising the island of the same name. It is about south o ...

. 109 people were rescued, 17 bodies were recovered, and approximately 70 people remain missing. The boat's passengers were all male and were mostly from Afghanistan. The boat was discovered by an

Australian Customs and Border Protection Service The Australian Customs and Border Protection Service was an Australian federal government agency responsible for managing the security and integrity of the Australian border and facilitating the movement of legitimate international travellers and ...

surveillance plane south of Java at about 3:00 pm AWST. The boat had sent out a distress call on 19 June, but it failed to identify its location. On 20 June, the boat sent out a second distress call, at which point Australian authorities advised the boat to return to Indonesia. The boat was spotted later that day by a surveillance plane as it continued toward Australian waters. "No visual signs of distress" were observed by the plane's crew. Australian authorities then began to prepare to respond when the boat would enter their territory, but it capsized before leaving Indonesian waters. About 40 survivors were found clinging to the upturned boat, while others were found on floating debris up to four miles (6 km) from the disaster's location. Survivors and bodies of the deceased were transported to Christmas Island aboard the patrol boat . Rescue efforts were coordinated by Indonesian authorities with assistance from Australia. Eight Australian and Indonesian ships, plus five Australian aircraft, were still searching for additional survivors on 22 June. Australian Home Affairs Minister

Jason Clare Jason Dean Clare (born 22 March 1972) is an Australian politician serving as Minister for Education since 1 June 2022. He is a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and has represented the Division of Blaxland in Western Sydney since 2007 ...

stated that the prospect of finding additional survivors was "increasingly grim", due to rough seas. Human traffickers often disable their boats once they have entered Australian waters and send out distress calls to have their "cargo" picked up. Christmas Island is a popular target for asylum seekers, whose journeys sometimes end in tragedy. In a statement, the U.N. refugee agency said the tragedy "reinforces the need for renewed international solidarity and cooperation to find protection options for people".

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Timeline: tracking the disaster
– By Matt Brown – Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 2012 disasters in Australia 2012 disasters in Indonesia International maritime incidents Migrant boat disasters Maritime incidents in 2012 Maritime incidents in Indonesia Suspected Illegal Entry Vessels June 2012 in Australia June 2012 in Indonesia 2012 in Christmas Island Migrant boat disaster, 2012 {{Indonesia-hist-stub

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