The Sri Lankan navy rescued over 100 Bangladeshi and Myanmar nationals from a sinking boat off the country's eastern seas, a navy spokesman said on Sunday.

Navy spokesman Kosala Warnakulasuriya told Xinhua that navy boats were deployed the previous night after information was received about a stranded boat.

When the navy reached the boat they found 138 people cramped into a small boat and their lives were in danger.

The navy immediately transferred the passengers onto the navy boats and brought them ashore, the navy spokesman said.

He said that most of them were suffering from dehydration and were admitted to a local hospital.

Among those on the boat were women and children and it was still not clear if they were heading to some country to seek asylum.

In recent times hundreds of Sri Lankans had been arrested while attempting to go by boat to Australia to seek asylum.

Sri Lankans, Bangladeshi nationals and Afghans often make the dangerous trip by boat despite many of them failing in their journey.