Nearly 250 migrants are missing after a boat capsized in strong winds and rough seas. After the horrific incident in the Andaman Sea in Southeast Asia, only nine people have been rescued so far. The overcrowded ship was carrying Rohingya refugees from the Muslim minority and Bangladeshi citizens hoping to find a new life in Malaysia.
The “overcrowded” trawler, which had set sail from Bangladesh and was bound for Malaysia, reportedly sank after being caught in “high winds and rough seas”, according to the United Nations and rescue agencies. Bangladesh Coast Guard spokesperson Lieutenant Commander Sabbir Alam Sujan said only nine people, including three Rohingya and six Bangladeshis, were rescued on April 9.
Bangladesh flag carrier MT Meghna Pride rescued nine people after the crew found them floating in the sea after the boat capsized, Mr Sujan said. It is not clear when the boat sank and the status of any search.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Organization for Migration said in a joint statement on Tuesday that the trawler had left for Malaysia carrying a large number of passengers from Teknaf in the southern Bangladeshi district of Cox’s Bazar.
The eight men and one woman rescued are safe after being handed over to the Coast Guard.
An official said the rescue was not part of any official search operation as it was outside Bangladesh territory, and the crew of MT Meghna Pride rescued the people while it was on its way from Chittagong in Bangladesh to Indonesia.
UNHCR and IOM said the disappearances reflect the prolonged displacement of the Rohingya people and the lack of durable solutions.
He said ongoing violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine state has made the Rohingya’s safe return to Myanmar uncertain, while limited humanitarian assistance, as well as limited access to education and employment in refugee camps, is forcing vulnerable Rohingya refugees to choose risky sea journeys, often based on false promises of higher wages and better opportunities abroad.
UNHCR and IOM urged the international community to strengthen funding and solidarity to ensure life-saving assistance for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, which has hosted more than one million Rohingya from Myanmar.
