Hundreds of Rohingya Rescued in Bangladesh After Drifting at Sea for Weeks
More than 300 Rohingya refugees were rescued in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, on April 15 after drifting at sea for weeks having failed to reach Malaysia, according to local news reports.
A selection of videos uploaded by Kaiser Neaz, including livestreams from the area, show exhausted Rohingya refugees arriving on shore.
BDNews24, quoting Lieut Cmdr M Sohel Rana of the Teknaf Coast Guard, reported that “locals informed the Coast Guard after spotting a trawler brimming with Rohingyas on Wednesday night.” And that later, “a Coast Guard team rescued 300 Rohingyas and seized a trawler after arriving at the spot.”
Md Jobair, one of the rescued Rohingya, told the Dhaka Tribune that a total of 382 people had sailed for Malaysia but had to turn back because of the coronavirus restrictions in the country.
He said: “Since then, we were adrift on the sea and without food or water. Some 28 people had died on the boat.”
The United Nations refugee agency said it had received the survivors from local authorities. Credit: Kaiser Neaz via Storyful
