Kuala Lumpur: A boat carrying about 100 people has capsized off the western coast of Malaysia near the busy Strait of Malacca, maritime authorities said on Thursday.

A spokesman for the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency said it was not immediately clear if there were any casualties in the incident, which took place near the district of Sabak Bernam in Malaysia's richest state of Selangor.

The agency sent out a rescue team on Thursday morning in response to a call from fishermen, the spokesman said, but the team has yet to return.

Media reports said the boat was carrying illegal immigrants, but maritime officials could not confirm this.