Boat disaster off Malaysia: many dead, hundreds missing
Stockholm, November 10 (Hibya) — At least seven people have died and hundreds are missing after a boat carrying Rohingya refugees from Myanmar sank near the Thailand–Malaysia border. Malaysian maritime authorities said 13 people have been rescued.
The accident was confirmed on Sunday but likely occurred several days earlier. According to officials, the boat left Myanmar’s Rakhine State about three days ago with around 300 people on board. As it approached Malaysia, the passengers were divided into three small boats, and only one of them is believed to have been found.
Rescue operations are continuing about 170 nautical miles off Langkawi, but authorities still do not know the exact time or location of the sinking.
Footage from the rescue efforts shows one survivor being carried on a stretcher and another covered with a blanket on the beach.
The Rohingya, a Muslim minority in predominantly Buddhist Myanmar, regularly flee persecution and violence. Many attempt to reach Malaysia or Indonesia in small, overcrowded boats — journeys that often end in death.
According to the United Nations, as the situation in Myanmar worsens, the number of Rohingya attempting to flee by sea has sharply increased over the past year.
Europe Asia News