Bangladesh rescues 400 hungry Rohingyas at sea for almost two months

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The Bangladesh Coast Guard said it had rescued at least 382 "hungry" Rohingya refugees in the country's territorial waters after almost two months at sea.

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After receiving information about the refugee boat, the coast guard launched a three-day search operation to locate the boat, which was found overnight off the southeast coast of the country, said a carrier. speech, Lt. Shah Zia Rahman.

“ We rescued at least 382 Rohingyas from a large, overloaded fishing trawler and brought them to a beach near (the coastal town of) Teknaf. They were hungry, "Shah Zia Rahman told AFP, adding that more than 30 people had died on board. “ They had been at sea for 58 days. And for the past seven days they have been in our territorial waters , ”he said.

The Rohingya, probably from refugee camps in the region , were on their way to Malaysia but turned back when Malaysia reinforced its coastal patrols because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to the local newspaper Dhaka Tribune . The survivors said " 32 Rohingyas died on the overcrowded trawler and their bodies were thrown into the sea, " said Shah Zia Rahman. An investigation has been opened.

“ We sealed off the area where they landed. We could not interview them because of the possibility that they were infected with the coronavirus, "said the spokesperson. Videos posted on Facebook by a local reporter showed a majority of emaciated women and children standing on a beach.

400 #Rohingyas returning from #Malaysia #rescued in #Teknaf https://t.co/l74fEBcYni

A local administrative official told AFP that the count of the survivors was still in progress but that it should exceed 400. The Dhaka Tribune said that the ship was carrying nearly 500 Rohingyas.

Nearly a million Rohingyas live in miserable camps near the Bangladesh border with Burma, many of whom fled after abuses by the Burmese army from 2017 . Faced with poor prospects for employment and education, thousands have already attempted to reach other countries, such as Malaysia and Thailand. In addition, total containment has been imposed in Cox's Bazar district, in south-eastern Bangladesh, where nearly a million Rohingyas are herded into the largest refugee camp in the world, in order to fight the coronavirus pandemic , announced the Bangladeshi authorities.

(with AFP)

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• Rohingya
• Malaysia
• Bangladesh

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