ABOUT 250 people were feared missing after a boat carrying Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi nationals capsized in the Andaman Sea, the United Nations said on Tuesday.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said the vessel was travelling from Teknaf in southern Bangladesh to Malaysia when it sank.
"The trawler, which departed from Teknaf in southern Bangladesh and was on its way to Malaysia, reportedly sank due to heavy winds, rough seas, and overcrowding," the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said in a statement.
Thousands of Rohingya leave Myanmar each year, travelling by sea on small boats as they flee repression and conflict.
Those on the boat were likely leaving camps in Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar, where more than a million refugees from Myanmar’s Rakhine state are living.
Rakhine state has seen fighting between the military and the Arakan Army over control of the region.
Details of the incident were not clear, but initial information suggested the boat was carrying about 280 people and had left Bangladesh on April 4.
The Bangladesh Coast Guard said one of its ships rescued nine people from the sea, including one woman, on April 9.
"The Bangladeshi flag carrier M.T. Meghna Pride... spotted several people floating in the sea using drums and logs and rescued them from deep waters near the Andaman Islands," BCG spokesman Lieutenant Commander Sabbir Alam Sujan told AFP.
Rafiqul Islam, a survivor, said he boarded the boat after being promised a job in Malaysia.
"A number of us were kept in the holding area of the trawler, some died there. I was burned by oil that spilled from the trawler," said Rafiqul, 40.
He said the boat travelled for four days before it capsized.
"We floated for nearly 36 hours before a ship rescued us from deep water."
Malaysia hosts millions of migrant workers from across Asia, many without documents, working in sectors such as construction and agriculture.
Sea journeys arranged by trafficking groups often involve overcrowded boats and carry risks.
The UNHCR said the incident showed the "dire consequences of protracted displacement and the absence of durable solutions for the Rohingya".
"This tragedy is a reminder of the efforts urgently needed to address the root causes of displacement in Myanmar and create conditions that would allow Rohingya refugees to return home voluntarily, safely and with dignity," it said.
The Andaman Sea lies along the coasts of Myanmar, Thailand and the Malay Peninsula.
Last year, the UNHCR said 427 Rohingya were feared dead at sea in two shipwrecks off Myanmar in May.
(With inputs from agencies)
