Dozens of suspected asylum seekers have been rescued by authorities after their boat's engine failed off Australia's northwest coast.
A Customs plane spotted the stricken vessel on Tuesday near Scott Reef, north of Broome, and the Ocean Viking ship was dispatched on a rescue mission.
The boat's 35 passengers and two crew are now on their way to immigration facilities on Christmas Island.
Opposition Immigration Spokesman Scott Morrison said the troubled vessel was the third illegal boat to arrive in distress in less than a week.
"This is yet another reminder that there is nothing compassionate about the Rudd government's policies that encourage people to get on leaky boats and put their lives in the hands of people smugglers," he said in a statement.
The nationalities of the passengers have not been revealed but if they come from Sri Lanka or Afghanistan they will have to wait to be processed in line with new government rules.
Source:http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/asylum-seekers-rescued-off-australia-20100608-xtko.html
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