Death toll from capsized boat with Myanmar migrants climbs to 26 as more bodies recovered

The decease toll from a capsized vessel carrying Rohingya migrants from Myanmar has risen to 26, with 14 survivors

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -- The decease toll from a capsized vessel carrying Rohingya migrants from Myanmar roseate to 26 connected Tuesday, aft rescuers successful Thailand and Malaysia recovered much bodies astatine sea.

The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency said rescuers recovered different subsister and recovered 8 much bodies connected Tuesday disconnected bluish Langkawi island, adjacent to the Thailand border. This brought its full to 20 deaths comprising 7 men, 9 women and 4 children, and 14 survivors, it said.

Separately, the Romsai Rescue Foundation successful Thailand’s confederate state of Satun said connected its Facebook leafage that six bodies were recovered successful Thai waters connected Sunday and Monday. It said recognition documents recovered from immoderate of the victims indicated they were Muslim Rohingya refugees believed to person been connected committee the capsized vessel.

Malaysian authorities person said an estimated 70 radical were connected committee the capsized boat, based connected survivors’ accounts.

Officials said a larger vas carrying immoderate 300 radical had departed from the municipality of Buthidaung, successful Myanmar’s Rakhine state. The passengers were believed to person been divided into 3 smaller boats erstwhile the vas neared Malaysia. One of the boats was believed to person sunk adjacent Tarutao land successful confederate Thailand connected Thursday.

The timing and nonstop determination of the incidental is not known. The destiny of the different 2 boats is besides unclear, officials said.

In a associated statement, the U.N. exile bureau and the International Organization for Migration voiced interest implicit the standard of imaginable nonaccomplishment of life. They called for much resources and stronger determination and planetary efforts to heighten search-and-rescue capableness and harmless entree to asylum to debar specified tragedies.

So acold this year, 5,300 Rohingya refugees — who have faced persecution for decades successful Myanmar — person embarked connected unsafe maritime journeys from Bangladesh and Myanmar, with implicit 600 reported to beryllium missing oregon dead, they said. Deteriorating conditions successful Bangladesh’s exile camps and a deepening struggle successful Myanmar sparked by a 2021 subject takeover are forcing much people, particularly women and children, to hazard their lives astatine sea, they added.

Malaysia is simply a fashionable destination for Rohingya seeking to participate illegally due to the fact that of its ascendant Malay Muslim population.

Malaysia has accepted Rohingya successful the past connected humanitarian grounds but has tried to bounds their numbers, fearing a wide influx of radical arriving connected boats. In January, Malaysian authorities turned distant 2 boats carrying astir 300 radical believed to beryllium Rohingya refugees.

There are astir 117,670 Rohingya registered with the U.N.’s exile bureau successful Malaysia — astir 59% of the full exile colonisation successful the country.

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