About 250 people feared missing as boat capsizes in Andaman Sea: UN

DHAKA: About 250 people, including children, were feared missing after a boat carrying Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi nationals capsized in the Andaman Sea, the United Nations said on Tuesday, reports Ahsan Tasnim .

“The trawler, which departed from Teknaf in southern Bangladesh and was on its way to Malaysia, reportedly sank due to heavy winds, rough seas, and overcrowding,” the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said in a statement.

UNHCR and International Organisation for Migration said the promise of better wages abroad, often coupled with misinformation spread by smuggling networks, drives individuals, Rohingya and Bangladeshis, to take significant risks. “This incident reflects the dire consequences of protracted displacement,” said the UN agencies.

“We urgently call on the international community to step up solidarity and sustain funding to support assistance for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh as well as support for Bangladeshi host communities,” they said.

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