A refugee boat carrying Rohingya fleeing Myanmar capsized near the Thai-Malaysian maritime border, resulting in a tragic loss of life and a continuing search for survivors.
Malaysian authorities have recovered seven bodies, including five women and a young girl, and rescued 13 survivors so far. Meanwhile, Thai authorities confirmed the recovery of four bodies, among them two children.
The incident occurred off Thailand’s Ko Tarutao island, just north of Malaysia’s Langkawi Island.
The vessel is believed to have been carrying approximately 70 people, part of a larger group of about 300 Rohingya who had departed Myanmar’s Rakhine state three days earlier on multiple boats.
According to officials, as the boats approached the border, the migrants were instructed to transfer onto three smaller vessels, each carrying around 100 people. The incident has left two boats still missing, and rescue efforts are ongoing across a vast area of 583 square kilometers (225 square miles) near Langkawi.
Authorities continue to search for survivors and recover the missing amid the ongoing humanitarian crisis faced by the Rohingya fleeing persecution and violence in Myanmar.
