Greater than a dozen lacking after a fishing trawler certain for Malaysia runs into dangerous climate within the Bay of Bengal.
A minimum of three individuals have drowned and practically 20 others are lacking off the Bangladesh coast after a ship carrying Rohingya refugees sank in tough climate, authorities mentioned.
The fishing trawler left at daybreak on Tuesday, certain for Malaysia, earlier than it bumped into hassle within the Bay of Bengal, with two coast guard search boats scrambling to rescue survivors.
Native police inspector Nur Mohammad instructed Al Jazeera that no less than three our bodies of younger Rohingya ladies had washed ashore at Shilkhali seashore within the coastal city of Halbunia.
“We went there after native fishermen knowledgeable us in regards to the lifeless our bodies. The ladies are aged between 18 and 20,” he mentioned, including that the our bodies have been despatched to a hospital in Cox’s Bazar city for autopsy examinations.
“We're suspecting some human traffickers within the space. A case will probably be filed in opposition to them,” he mentioned.
The boat sank off the coast of Cox’s Bazar district, close to the positioning of sprawling camps which can be dwelling to roughly 1,000,000 Rohingya refugees.
Dire situations in Bangladesh’s refugee camps immediate lots of of Rohingya annually to pay smugglers for passage in another country.
Mohammad Jalil, a resident of Kutupalong camp in Cox’s Bazar, mentioned he paid a big sum to some traffickers to take him to Malaysia. “Our cash is gone now. We risked our lives for nothing,” he mentioned.
Peyara Khatun, a Rohingya girl who was rescued, recounted the incident.
“The ocean was very fierce and there have been massive waves. At one level, the trawler sank. We swam for an hour to achieve to the seashore,” she mentioned.
Coast guard station commander Ashiq Ahmed mentioned the vessel was believed to be carrying about 65 individuals after stopping at a number of coastal cities earlier than heading out to sea.
“We've got rescued 45 individuals together with 41 Rohingya refugees and 4 Bangladeshis,” he instructed AFP information company.
“Almost 20 persons are nonetheless lacking. The rescue operation is happening,” he added.
Many of the Rohingya in Bangladesh arrived 5 years in the past after a army crackdown in neighbouring Myanmar that's now the topic of a genocide investigation on the United Nation’s high courtroom.
Faisal Mahmud contributed to this report from Dhaka, Bangladesh
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