Over two dozen Rohingyas died on rescued boat, Coast Guard says

At least two dozen ethnic Rohingyas died aboard a ship that was rescued on Wednesday with nearly 400 starving people aboard after failing to reach Malaysia and drifting for weeks, Reuters reported.

“They were at sea for about two months and were starving,” one of the Bangladesh Coast Guard officials told the global news agency in a message.

The official said a “final decision” had been made to send the 382 people on board to neighbouring Myanmar, where the Rohingyas are from.

Meanwhile, UNB added: Coast Guard members rescued the Rohingyas from Shyamlapur Halbania Para Ghat in Cox’s Bazar Teknaf upazila.

Teknaf Station Coast Guard Officer Lieutenant Commander M Sohel Rana said they were trying to go to Malaysia illegally and remained stuck in the Bay of Bengal for two months.

After receiving information, a team of the Coast Guard conducted a drive and arrested them and seized a trawler.

Mohammad Saiful Islam, Upazila Nirbahi Officer, said the Rohingyas returned after failing to anchor in Malaysia. Most of the Rohingyas rescued from the trawler are women and children, he said.

Zobair, one of the Rohingyas, said a trawler with 482 of them from Teknaf and Ukhiya camps left for Malaysia two months ago but they failed to enter the country and returned to Cox’s Bazar.

Twenty-eight people died during this period, he said.