Nearly 250 people, including children, are feared missing after a boat carrying Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi nationals capsized in the Andaman Sea, the United Nations (UN) said on Tuesday, AFP reported.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said in a statement: “The trawler, which sailed from Teknaf in southern Bangladesh and was on its way to Malaysia, reportedly sank due to strong winds, rough seas and overcrowding.”
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Every year, thousands of Rohingya, Myanmar’s persecuted Muslim minority, risk their lives fleeing repression and civil war in their country. These refugees travel by sea, often in makeshift boats.
According to the report, the Rohingya on board this latest ship were likely fleeing huge camps in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar, where over a million refugees forced to leave Myanmar’s Rakhine live in squalid conditions.
BCG rescues nine after the trawler sinks
While the exact circumstances of the latest incident are unclear, preliminary information indicated that the vessel was carrying around 280 people and left Bangladesh on April 4.
The Bangladesh Coast Guard (BCG) noted that on April 9, one of its ships, which was en route to Indonesia, managed to rescue up to nine people, including a woman, from the sea.
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BCG spokesman Lt. Sabbir Alam Sujan told AFP: “Bangladesh flagship MT Meghna Pride… spotted several people floating in the sea using drums and logs and rescued them from deep waters near the Andaman Islands.”
According to The Daily Star, the rescued were later handed over to the Bangladesh Coast Guard patrol boat Mansur Ali around midnight.
Survivor recalls the harrowing description
Rafiqul Islam, one of the survivors, recalled the harrowing story, telling AFP that he was lured onto the ship by traffickers who promised him a job in Malaysia. According to The Daily Star, he noted that he was later taken to a house in Rajarchhara area of Teknaf’s Kachhopia division where he was locked up with 20 to 25 others in inhumane conditions. He further alleged that the victims were abused whenever they tried to escape, adding that several houses in the area were used to confine the trafficked persons.
“A few of us were kept in the holding area of the trawler and some died there. I was burnt by the oil that spilled from the trawler,” said Rafiqul, 40, adding that the vessel had been traveling for four days before it capsized. “We floated for almost 36 hours before a ship rescued us from deep water.
Describing the poor conditions, Rafiqul said more passengers were loaded onto the vessel, bringing the total to roughly 280. This included 13 crew and traffickers, 21 Rohingya women and four children. Around 150 passengers were Rohingya while the rest were Bangladeshis.
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After leaving waters near Shamila, Myanmar (near St. Martin Island) on 4 April, the trawler approached the Andaman Islands on 8 April. Because of rough seas, traffickers reportedly forced passengers into four cramped storage spaces meant for fish and nets.
He claimed that 25 to 30 people died as a result of suffocation and overcrowding, and claimed that traffickers threatened to sink the vessel unless those on board cooperated and moved into compartments.
Rafiqul noted that he survived by clinging to a two-liter water bottle, but could not say what happened to the others. He was later rescued along with eight others on April 9.
UNHCR notes on ship capsizing
UNHCR noted that the latest incident reflected “the dire consequences of protracted displacement and the absence of durable solutions for the Rohingya”. The agency added that the tragedy serves as a reminder of the efforts that are urgently needed to address the root causes of displacement in Myanmar and create conditions that allow the Rohingya to return home voluntarily and safely.
Last year, UNHCR said 427 Rohingya died at sea in two shipwrecks off the coast of Myanmar in May.
