Hundreds missing after Rohingya boat capsizes in Andaman Sea: UN

The UN and International Organization for Migration said about 250 people, including children, are feared missing.Approximately 250 Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi nationals are missing after a boat capsized in the Andaman Sea, the United Nations refugee agency and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said.Loaded with men, women and children, the trawler reportedly sank due to strong winds, “rough seas and overcrowding”, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the IOM said in a joint statement issued on Tuesday.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Dire situation for Rohingya “exacerbated” by funding cutslist 2 of 4Rohingya ask UN ‘where is the justice’ amid Myanmar violence, aid cutslist 3 of 4‘No expectations’: Bangladesh election means little to 1m Rohingya refugeeslist 4 of 4Near-blind Rohingya refugee found dead after border patrol releaseend of listThe trawler had departed Teknaf in southern Bangladesh and was attempting to reach Malaysia, according to reports.“This tragedy highlights the devastating human cost ‌of protracted displacement and the continued absence of durable solutions for the Rohingya,” the UNHCR and the IOM said in their statement.Long persecuted in Myanmar, more than 730,000 Rohingya were forced to flee their homes in 2017 amid a campaign of ethnic cleansing by Myanmar’s military, and sought safety in refugee camps in neighbouring Bangladesh.Thousands of Rohingya risk their lives every year to flee both repression and civil war in Myanmar and the overcrowded camps in Bangladesh, often going to sea on makeshift boats to reach neighbouring countries and the possibility of a better life.The Bangladesh coastguard said one of its vessels, which was on the way to Indonesia, managed to rescue nine people from the capsized trawler, including one woman, on April 9, the AFP news agency reported.Coastguard spokesperson Lieutenant Commander Sabbir Alam Sujan said the vessel “spotted several people floating in the sea using drums and logs and rescued them from deep waters”.