KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 9 (Reuters) - A boat carrying Rohingya individuals from Myanmar sank near the Thai-Malaysian border, leaving hundreds missing, seven confirmed dead, and 13 rescued, according to Malaysia's maritime agency on Sunday.

On Saturday, rescuers searched a 170 square nautical mile area near Langkawi island after the boat, which was carrying around 300 people, departed from Myanmar's Rakhine state three days prior, stated Romli Mustafa, the head of the maritime agency for the region.

Photos released by the agency showed one survivor covered with a sheet and another on a stretcher.

Rakhine state in Myanmar has experienced years of conflict, poverty, and ethnic violence, primarily affecting the Rohingya Muslim minority. Following a severe military crackdown in 2017, about 1.3 million Rohingya now live in overcrowded refugee camps in neighboring Bangladesh.

According to Malaysian state media Bernama, Kedah province's police chief Adzli Abu Shah reported that the passengers initially boarded a large boat in Myanmar but were later told to transfer to three smaller boats, each holding about 100 people, to evade detection as they approached Malaysia.

The whereabouts of the other two boats remain unknown, and the search-and-rescue efforts are still ongoing.

As violence and poor living conditions persist in Myanmar and Bangladesh, Rohingya individuals from both nations often undertake dangerous sea journeys, including attempts to reach Malaysia.

Between January and early November this year, over 5,100 Rohingya attempted to escape Myanmar and Bangladesh by boat, with nearly 600 reported dead or missing, according to the UN Refugee Agency.