At least 11 people have died after a boat carrying Rohingya migrants sank near the Thailand-Malaysia border, authorities said Monday.Malaysian and Thai agencies are deploying air and sea assets to search for survivors, while another vessel with 230 passengers remains unaccounted for. Malaysian authorities confirmed 11 fatalities from the capsized boat, which was believed to carry around 70 passengers. Thai officials recovered four bodies, including two children, adding to the seven found by Malaysia’s maritime agency. 

Thirteen survivors have been rescued so far, 11 of whom are Rohingya and two from Bangladesh. The fate of another boat carrying 230 passengers is still unclear. Rohingya fleeing Myanmar face violence at home and difficult conditions in Bangladeshi refugee camps. Many attempt hazardous sea voyages to Malaysia and Indonesia each year. Myanmar’s Rakhine state has endured years of conflict, hunger, and ethnic violence targeting the Rohingya minority.

Following the brutal 2017 military crackdown, around 1.3 million Rohingya now live in refugee camps in Bangladesh. At a press briefing on Langkawi Island near the search area, Romli Mustafa, director of Malaysia’s maritime agency in Kedah and Perlis, said air assets would support ongoing sea operations. He estimated the search could last up to seven days. Romli added that the boat left Myanmar near the Bangladesh border about two weeks ago, and some passengers later transferred to the vessel that sank.

UN Refugee Agency data shows that over 5,100 Rohingya attempted sea departures from Myanmar and Bangladesh between January and early November this year. Nearly 600 people were reported dead or missing during these journeys. Thai authorities noted that the four dead recovered in their waters included two children, aged over 10 and 12, and two adults. Two of the women were confirmed as Rohingya via refugee cards.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)