Bangladesh Coast Guard Rescues Nine After Rohingya Boat Capsizes In Andaman Sea

About 250 Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi nationals were reported missing after a boat capsized in the Andaman Sea.

“Approximately 250 Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi nationals are missing after a boat capsized in the Andaman Sea, the United Nations refugee agency and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said”

Al Jazeera

The UN refugee and migration agencies said the trawler reportedly sank due to heavy winds, rough seas and overcrowding.

Al Jazeera

The Bangladesh Coast Guard rescued nine people who were clinging to drums and wooden debris to stay afloat.

Survivor Rafiqul Islam said he floated for nearly 36 hours before being rescued and was burned by oil that spilled from the vessel.

The Rohingya are a Muslim minority from Myanmar's Rakhine state, denied citizenship by the Buddhist-majority government.

Rafiqul Islam said he was lured onto the boat by traffickers who promised him a job in Malaysia.

He described being kept in a holding area where some people died from suffocation.

Baird Maritime

We floated for nearly 36 hours before a ship rescued us from deep water.

The Bangladesh Coast Guard confirmed that the MT Meghna Pride rescued the survivors.

Of the nine rescued, six were alleged traffickers and have been detained.

The tragedy highlights the devastating human cost of protracted displacement.

“- Published About 250 Rohingya and Bangladeshis, including children, are missing after their boat capsized last week in the Andaman Sea, according to the United Nations' refugee and migration agencies”

BBC

More than 730,000 Rohingya were forced to flee Myanmar in 2017.

The refugees continue to endure challenging living conditions in overcrowded camps in Bangladesh.

UN agencies urged the international community to strengthen funding and solidarity.

The Rohingya are regarded as foreign interlopers and denied citizenship in Myanmar.