The accident occurred near the resort island of Langkawi in northwestern Malaysia, close to the border with Thailand, 11 days ago. A major search operation involving 19 boats and 300 searchers ended on Monday morning.
Around 70 migrants are believed to have been on board the boat, most of whom were from the persecuted Rohingya minority group in Myanmar. 14 people have been found alive at sea.
Malaysian rescue workers have found the remains of 29 people at sea and seven on the Thai side, leaving around 20 more people believed to be missing in the waves.
The boat that sank is suspected of having set sail with another boat, and in total they are believed to have transported around 300 people. The second boat is also reported missing. The boats were heading towards Malaysia, which is home to millions of migrants from poorer parts of Southeast Asia.
So far this year, at least 5,300 Rohingya are estimated to have left Myanmar or Bangladesh by sea. More than 600 are reported dead or missing, according to UN agencies monitoring the refugee situation.
