More than 250 individuals, consisting of Rohingya refugees and citizens of Bangladesh, remain unaccounted for following a deadly boat disaster in the Andaman Sea during their journey to Malaysia, international refugee and migration organizations reported.
Nine survivors were pulled from the waters on April 9 by the crew of the M.T. Meghna Pride, a Bangladesh-flagged vessel, according to Lt. Com. Sabbir Alam Suzan, a spokesperson for the Bangladesh Coast Guard, who spoke with The Associated Press on Wednesday. The rescued group included three Rohingya individuals and six Bangladeshi citizens.
The timing of the vessel’s sinking and current search efforts remained unclear as of Wednesday.
In a combined statement released Tuesday, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Organization for Migration revealed that the fishing trawler had departed from Teknaf, located in Cox’s Bazar district in southern Bangladesh, carrying numerous passengers bound for Malaysia.
The vessel lost control and went down due to overcrowded conditions, powerful winds, and turbulent waters, the organizations stated.
Shari Nijman, a UNCHR communications officer stationed in Cox’s Bazar, confirmed Wednesday that her agency had no additional information to share.
A second coast guard media representative, speaking anonymously in accordance with department protocol, told the AP by telephone Wednesday that all nine rescued individuals – eight males and one female – were in good condition after being transferred to coast guard custody and subsequently handed over to Teknaf police.
The rescue operation was not conducted as part of any formal search mission since the incident occurred beyond Bangladesh’s territorial waters, the official explained. The M.T. Meghna Pride crew discovered the survivors while traveling from Chittagong, Bangladesh to Indonesia.
The UNHCR and IOM characterized the tragedy as highlighting the prolonged displacement crisis facing Rohingya populations and the lack of permanent solutions for their situation.
Continued conflict in Myanmar’s Rakhine state has created uncertainty about safe repatriation for the Rohingya, while insufficient humanitarian aid and limited educational and employment opportunities in refugee settlements continue driving desperate Rohingya to attempt dangerous ocean crossings, frequently based on misleading promises of better wages and improved living conditions overseas, the agencies explained.
Both organizations called on the global community to increase financial support and solidarity to provide essential aid for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, which currently houses over one million Rohingya who fled Myanmar.
