Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh: At least three people drowned and about 20 others missing Bangladesh Officials said a boat carrying Rohingya refugees sank on Tuesday in bad weather.
The dire situation in Bangladesh’s refugee camps prompts hundreds of people to pay for smugglers out of the country every year.
The fishing trawler left at dawn and was bound for Malaysia, before getting into trouble Bay of BengalTwo Coast Guard search boats are scrambling to rescue the survivors.
At least three bodies were washed ashore in the coastal town of Halbunia, police said.
“We have recovered the bodies. These are three Rohingya women, aged between 18 and 20 years,” the police inspector said. Noor Muhammad told AFP.
Coast Guard Station Commander Ashiq Ahmed Said that the ship was thought to carry around 65 people after stopping in several coastal cities before boarding.
“We have rescued 45 people, including 41 Rohingya refugees and four Bangladeshis,” he told AFP.
“Around 20 people are still missing. Rescue operations are still on,” he said.
The boat sank off the coast of the Cox’s Bazar district, near the site of huge camps that are home to nearly a million Rohingya refugees.
Most arrived in Bangladesh five years ago after a military crackdown in neighboring Myanmar, which is now the subject of an investigation into the genocide at the United Nations’ top court.
The dire situation in Bangladesh’s refugee camps prompts hundreds of people to pay for smugglers out of the country every year.
The fishing trawler left at dawn and was bound for Malaysia, before getting into trouble Bay of BengalTwo Coast Guard search boats are scrambling to rescue the survivors.
At least three bodies were washed ashore in the coastal town of Halbunia, police said.
“We have recovered the bodies. These are three Rohingya women, aged between 18 and 20 years,” the police inspector said. Noor Muhammad told AFP.
Coast Guard Station Commander Ashiq Ahmed Said that the ship was thought to carry around 65 people after stopping in several coastal cities before boarding.
“We have rescued 45 people, including 41 Rohingya refugees and four Bangladeshis,” he told AFP.
“Around 20 people are still missing. Rescue operations are still on,” he said.
The boat sank off the coast of the Cox’s Bazar district, near the site of huge camps that are home to nearly a million Rohingya refugees.
Most arrived in Bangladesh five years ago after a military crackdown in neighboring Myanmar, which is now the subject of an investigation into the genocide at the United Nations’ top court.