At least three people died after a boatload of asylum-seekers sank in the Indian Ocean northwest of Australia, Australian officials said.

Officials said all survivors -- 27 men believed to be from Sri Lanka -- will be taken to Christmas Island, the Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported Tuesday.

Officials said they believe 39 people were aboard the boat when it sank 350 nautical miles off the Cocos Islands Sunday.

Saradha Nathan, head of the Australian Tamil Congress's internally displaced people crisis team, said a group of men recently left eastern Sri Lanka in a boat. She told the Australian broadcaster several families have contacted her, saying they haven't heard from their male relatives since they left several weeks ago.

"That was not the only boat that has left Sri Lanka so they are fearful at the moment," Nathan said. "They're not sure so they're very anxious to find out if their relatives are okay."

Opposition leader Tony Abbott tied the boat sinking to the government's border protection policies, calling Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's policy a failure.

"You've got to say that this is a comprehensive failure and it's all the prime minister's fault," Abbott said. "He was the person who advertised that we changed our policy. He broadcast to the people smugglers that we were now going to be much more humane, which is code for the welcome mat is out."