At Least 15 Rohingya Refugees Dead as Boat Sinks in Bangladesh

New Delhi, February 11, 2020:

At least fifteen Rohingya refugees died after an overcrowded wooden boat sank off the coast of southern Bangladesh on Tuesday.

More than a dozen of the refugees are still unaccounted for after the incident. The boat was reportedly heading towards Malaysia.

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Around 130 people comprising mainly Rohingya women and children mainly were packed on the wooden boat. Seventy of them have been rescued so far.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations refugee agency have extended their support to the survivors of the boat.

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“UNHCR and IOM are saddened by this tragic loss of life and, together with our other UN and NGO partners, are standing by to offer assistance to the [Bangladeshi] government in responding to the needs of the survivors, be it food, shelter, or medical aid,” read a statement.

According to reports, many of the Rohingya refugees sheltering in the overcrowded refugee camps in Coz Bazar, Bangladessh have made their attempts to escape to Malaysia by boat.

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