By: k.madhwan
Three people, including children, have died of “starvation and dehydration” since a boat from Bangladesh went astray due to alleged engine failure on December 4.
New Delhi: Stranded at sea without water, food, or power, a boat from Bangladesh carrying over 160 Rohingya refugees is reportedly awaiting rescue in Indian waters near the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.Three people, including children, have already died due to “starvation and dehydration”, Rezuwan Khan, a Rohingya activist who lives in Bangladesh, told ThePrint. His sister and her baby are on the boat.
“I spoke to them yesterday via satellite phone and the situation is very concerning. They do not have water or food. The situation requires urgent help and disembarkation. We are very concerned,” Khan said.The boat, which set off from south Bangladesh on 26 November, is believed to have suffered engine failure on 4 December, after which it drifted into Indian waters.
The refugees on board had been staying at Kutupalong, the world’s largest refugee camp in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar, and were heading in the boat to Malaysia via Indonesia, Khan said.“I hope they can quickly be rescued,” a distressed Khan reiterated.Reports of the stranded boat come just a day after the Sri Lankan navy rescued 104 Rohingya refugees from a trawler that was reportedly going from Myanmar to Indonesia.Five boats with Rohingya refugees have been known to have left Bangladesh over the past two months. According to a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) report published last year, many Rohingya refugees risk the high seas in order to escape unhospitable and cramped conditions at camps.
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