11 dead, dozens missing after Rohingya boat capsizes near Thailand
2 Min Read
At least 11 Rohingya refugees have been reported dead after a boat capsized near the Thailand-Malaysia border.
-
A member of the Malaysian Navy is silhouetted as he stands guard on the bow of a corvette ship during a media trip for the search and rescue mission of Rohingya migrants in Langkawi, Malaysia, on May 28, 2015. (AP)
The death toll from a capsized boat carrying migrants from Myanmar’s persecuted Rohingya community rose to 11 on Monday, according to Malaysian and Thai authorities. The vessel sank near the maritime border between Thailand and Malaysia, with an estimated 70 people believed to have been on board.
Malaysian officials reported recovering seven bodies, while Thai authorities said they had retrieved four, including two children. 13 survivors, most of them Rohingya, have been rescued so far.
At a press conference on the island of Langkawi, Malaysia’s maritime agency confirmed that both Malaysia and Thailand had deployed air and sea assets to expand the search for survivors. "We have got very good relations with the Thai agency, so we have good communication and exchanges of information," said Romli Mustafa, director of the maritime agency in Malaysia's Kedah and Perlis. He added that the search operation may continue for up to seven days.
According to Romli, the agency received information indicating the boat departed from Myanmar near the Bangladesh border about two weeks ago, while some passengers reportedly transferred to another vessel on Thursday.
Among the survivors, 11 were Rohingya and two were from Bangladesh.
Rohingya boat sinks near Malaysia
On Sunday, Malaysian authorities confirmed that hundreds were feared missing after a vessel carrying mostly Rohingya refugees sank near the Malaysia-Thailand border. The boat, which departed from Buthidaung in Myanmar, was carrying around 300 people before it capsized in waters near Langkawi.
Initially, First Admiral Romli Mustafa, maritime director for the northern Malaysian states of Kedah and Perlis, said only 10 survivors and one deceased passenger had been found.
Among the first survivors were three Myanmar men, two Rohingya men, and one Bangladeshi man, according to Bernama, citing Kedah police chief Adzli Abu Shah. The recovered body was identified as that of a Rohingya woman.
Rescue teams believe more victims could still be at sea, prompting continued operations near Langkawi, a known transit point for refugee and migrant routes.
