Australian vessels are searching for an asylum seeker boat believed to be sinking off Christmas Island.
A spokesman for Home Affairs Minister Jason Clare says the search area is about 65 nautical miles northwest of Christmas Island.
No details are available yet on how many people are aboard the boat.
These boats mostly originate from Indonesia with asylum seekers, many from Afghanistan and Iran, paying people smugglers for the perilous voyage on often over-crowded vessels.
- AAP
