About 250 Rohingya and Bangladeshi refugees, including children, are missing after their boat capsized last week in the Andaman Sea, according to the United Nations refugee and migration agencies.
The trawler had departed from Bangladesh and was bound for Malaysia but “reportedly sank due to heavy winds, rough seas and overcrowding,” the agencies said in a joint statement.
It is unclear exactly when the boat capsized. However, on April 9, a Bangladesh-flagged vessel rescued nine people who were “clinging to drums and wooden debris” to stay afloat, the coast guard said.
A Coast Guard member, who asked not to be named, told the BBC that those rescued said they had left Bangladesh for Malaysia on April 4 “in the hope of a better life.” On April 7 or 8, their boat was caught in a storm.
“They were left floating at sea for nearly two days, holding onto drums and pieces of wood,” he added.
The survivors were found around 2 a.m. on April 11 by the crew of the Bangladesh-flagged Motor Tanker Meghna Pride, which was sailing from Bangladesh to Indonesia. The crew brought them on board and later handed them over to a Coast Guard vessel.
The survivors said they had seen nearly 100 people. “But the exact number is still unknown,” the officer added, “and there is no trace of the others or of the boat.”
Rafiqul Islam, one of the survivors, told AFP he floated for nearly 36 hours before being rescued, adding that he was burned by oil that spilled from the vessel. The 40-year-old said the promise of a job in Malaysia persuaded him to get on the boat.
In their statement on Tuesday, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Organization for Migration said: “This tragic incident reflects the dire consequences of protracted displacement and the absence of durable solutions for the Rohingya.”
The agencies noted that ongoing violence in Rakhine, the Rohingya home state in Myanmar, has “faded hopes of safe return in the near future.” Shrinking humanitarian assistance and challenging living conditions in refugee camps in Bangladesh have pushed many to “take such dangerous sea journeys in search of safety and opportunity.”
The UN agencies called on the international community to sustain funding for Rohingya refugees and their host communities in Bangladesh. They added, “As Bangladesh marks its new year, this tragedy is a reminder of the efforts urgently needed to address the root causes of displacement in Myanmar.”
