21 dead, search continues after refugee boat sinks near Malaysia, Thailand

The vessel was carrying dozens of refugees from Myanmar’s persecuted Rohingya Muslim number erstwhile it sank.

Authorities successful Malaysia and Thailand person recovered astatine slightest 21 bodies arsenic they hunt for survivors aft a vessel carrying Rohingya refugees fleeing Myanmar sank, constabulary and maritime officials said connected Monday.

Officials said the vessel was carrying astir 70 migrants erstwhile it capsized adjacent Thailand’s Ko Tarutao island, conscionable northbound of Malaysia’s Langkawi Island, 3 days aft departing from Myanmar’s Rakhine state.

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They were believed to person been portion of a larger radical of immoderate 300 radical who were divided betwixt astatine slightest 2 boats, constabulary said.

Tarutao is conscionable northbound of Malaysia’s land edifice of Langkawi, wherever officials said search-and-rescue operations were being concentrated.

Thirteen survivors person been rescued successful Malaysian waters since Saturday, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) told reporters connected Monday.

Search-and-rescue operations were expected to past for 7 days, Romli Mustafa, MMEA manager successful the bluish states of Kedah and Perlis, told reporters connected Monday evening.

Hundreds of Rohingya radical boarded a vas bound for Malaysia 2 weeks agone and were transferred onto 2 boats connected Thursday, Malaysian authorities said.

One vessel carrying 70 radical sank soon afterwards, portion the destiny of astir 230 radical connected committee the different vas remains unclear, officials said.

More than 5,100 Rohingya boarded boats to permission Myanmar and Bangladesh betwixt January and aboriginal November of this year, and astir 600 of them person been reported dormant oregon missing, according to information from the United Nations Refugee Agency.

For years, galore Rohingya person embarked connected rickety woody boats to effort to scope neighbouring countries, including Muslim-majority Malaysia and Indonesia, arsenic good arsenic Thailand, bidding to fly persecution successful Myanmar oregon overcrowded exile camps successful Bangladesh.

Buddhist-majority Myanmar denies abuses against the Rohingya successful Rakhine authorities successful the country’s west, but claims the number are not citizens but undocumented immigrants from South Asia.