Horror as 'overcrowded' migrant ship sinks – 250 refugees missing

Nearly 250 migrants are missing after a boat capsized in high winds and rough seas. Just nine people have been recovered after the horror incident in the Andaman Sea in Southeast Asia. The packed vessel was carrying Muslim minority Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi nationals who were hoping to reach a new life in Malaysia.

The “overcrowded” trawler, which had departed from Bangladesh and was bound for Malaysia, reportedly sank after being caught in “heavy winds and rough seas”, according to the UN and rescue agencies. Bangladesh Coast Guard spokesperson Lieutenant Commander Sabbir Alam Suzan told said just nine people, including three Rohingya and six Bangladeshis, were rescued on April 9.

Mr Suzan said the Bangladesh flag carrier M.T. Meghna Pride rescued the nine people when the crew found them floating at sea after the capsize. When the boat sank and the status of any search remains unclear.

The UN high commissioner for refugees and the International Organization for Migration said in a joint statement on Tuesday that the trawler departed from Teknaf in the southern Bangladeshi district of Cox’s Bazar carrying a large number of passengers to Malaysia.

The eight rescued men and one woman are all safe after being handed over to the coast guard.

An official said the rescue was not part of any official search operation as it is outside Bangladesh territory, and that the crew of the M.T. Meghna Pride saved the people while it was on its way to Indonesia from Bangladesh’s Chittagong.

UNHCR and IOM said the disappearance reflected the protracted displacement of Rohingya people and the absence of durable solutions.

They said ongoing violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine state has made the Rohingya’s safe return to Myanmar uncertain, while limited humanitarian assistance, as well as restricted access to education and employment in refugee camps, continue to push vulnerable Rohingya refugees to choose risky sea journeys, often based on false promises of higher wages and better opportunities abroad.

UNHCR and IOM urged the international community to strengthen funding and solidarity to ensure lifesaving assistance for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, which has sheltered more than one million Rohingya from Myanmar.