Malaysian authorities said on Monday that a boat carrying around 70 Rohingya migrants from Myanmar sank off the country’s northwest coast near the Thai border, leaving at least seven dead and 13 rescued, while another vessel with about 230 people on board remains unaccounted for.
The wooden boat went down in rough waters near Langkawi Island late last week after departing from Myanmar’s Rakhine state, according to Malaysia’s maritime agency. “We have recovered seven bodies and rescued 13 survivors,” an agency official said at a press conference.
Search and rescue operations are continuing in coordination with Thai authorities across an area spanning both nations’ maritime borders.
Earlier on Monday, Thai officials said their teams had recovered four bodies from nearby waters, though it was unclear whether the remains were among those counted by Malaysia.
The passengers were believed to be part of Myanmar’s stateless Rohingya minority, who continue to flee persecution and worsening conditions in refugee camps in Bangladesh.
Facing violence and economic hardship, many attempt the treacherous sea route to Malaysia or Indonesia in search of safety and work.
The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) estimates that more than 5,000 Rohingya have embarked on similar journeys since the beginning of the year, with nearly 600 reported dead or missing.
Malaysian officials said the fate of a second boat carrying about 230 people remains unknown.
Both countries have urged continued regional cooperation to locate survivors and address the worsening humanitarian crisis in the Andaman Sea.
Source: Reuters
Written By Rodney Mbua
