SINGAPORE — One person is missing after five people jumped overboard from a boat carrying 108 people around the waters off Pedra Branca.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said in a statement on Thursday (April 19) afternoon that it received a report early Thursday morning that five people had gone overboard from a boat.

The location where the boat was found. Map: Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore

The Singapore Police Coast Guard (PCG) and the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) were activated for search and rescue operations, the agency said.

Four of the people who jumped overboard — all Indonesians — were rescued, but one remains missing.

Singapore is co-ordinating the search and rescue operations with the Indonesia authorities, the MPA said.

"In addition, MPA has issued navigational broadcasts for ships to look for the missing person," it added.

The MPA said the boat was carrying a total of 108 people comprising men, women, and children. Indonesian media reports said that the speedboat was carrying 76 men, 22 women and four children, along with five crew members. 

"All the 107 persons have been transferred to an Indonesian Marine Police vessel and conveyed back to Batam," the MPA said.

It did not specify why the group were in the boat off Pedra Branca. It also did not state the nationality of the remainder of the passengers.

Indonesian media reports on Thursday said the speedboat was carrying Indonesian migrant workers, but it ran out of fuel while on its way to Indonesia from Johor in Malaysia. 

"The boat was filled with Indonesian migrant workers. It ran out of fuel halfway through its journey and floated into Singaporean waters," Tribun Batam quoted Riau Islands police public relations chief Kombes Erlangga as saying. 

"Singapore's (police) coast guard requested that we picked up the stranded passengers which we did," he said, adding that three vessels were used to rescue the 107 people. 

In a Facebook post on Thursday afternoon, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said the RSN's Maritime Security Task Force spotted the boat "which had lost power, and was drifting around the waters off Pedra Branca".

"Some were seen to have jumped overboard from the stranded boat and were swimming away," Dr Ng wrote, when vessels were sent to investigate.

Two RSN patrol vessels, as well as three PCG vessels were sent, TODAY understands.