Arakan News Agency
UNHCR expressed its dismay over news of a tragedy in the Bay of Bengal in which 14 Rohingya refugees were reportedly drowned after their boat capsized on Thursday while trying to reach safety in Bangladesh.
Among the deaths were five girls, four boys and five women from Arakan State. Of the 27 survivors, eight were women and seven children; 12 people had been transferred to local hospitals.
“It is sad that the refugees fleeing the violence have sank close to the land and safety they were desperate to reach,” said Indrika Ratopati, UNHCR’s Director of the Asia-Pacific Region.
The number of women and children involved indicates that the most vulnerable are often most affected by these tragedies, said UNHCR staff as they were returning from refugee camps in southeastern Bangladesh late on Thursday, saw local residents rescue 27 Rohingya people after the boat they had fled from Myanmar capsized near the shore. The bodies of 14 people were pulled out on the Inani beach, which is dotted with sharp coral rocks, south of Cox’s Bazaar.
Survivors were unable to find out how many people were aboard the boat, which was launched from Myanmar on Wednesday night, they said. The Bay of Bengal saw strong waves and strong winds some noon on Thursday, leading to the boat capsizing. According to our staff in the area, the boat was very close to the beach when it turned over – in a place where refugees usually do not get off.
UNHCR mobilized ambulances, police and medical authorities to respond to this incident.
There are unconfirmed reports of another boat being lost.
