Dhaka: About 250 people, including children, are feared missing after a boat carrying Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi nationals capsized in the Andaman Sea, the United Nations said on Tuesday.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said in a statement, “The fishing vessel that left Teknaf in southern Bangladesh and was on its way to Malaysia sank due to strong winds, rough waves and overcrowding.”UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration said the promise of better wages abroad, often coupled with misinformation spread by smuggling networks, is pushing individuals, both Rohingya and Bangladeshis, to take significant risks. “This incident reflects the dire consequences of protracted displacement,” UN agencies said. “We urgently call on the international community to strengthen solidarity and sustain funding to support assistance to Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh as well as to support host communities in Bangladesh,” they said.
