JAKARTA (Reuters) – Greater than 70 Rohingya are “presumed useless or lacking” after a ship they had been on capsized off the coast of Indonesia’s Aceh province, whereas 75 have been rescued, the UNHCR refugee company stated on Friday.
The UNHCR stated in a joint assertion with the Worldwide Group for Migration that if the demise toll was confirmed, it will be the largest lack of life thus far this yr.
The alert was raised on Wednesday when fishermen rescued six of the migrants. A fishing neighborhood in Aceh stated they’d been standing on the hull of the boat after it capsized on account of excessive tides.
For years, Rohingya have left Buddhist-majority Myanmar the place they’re typically considered international interlopers from South Asia, denied citizenship and subjected to abuse.
Greater than 2,300 Rohingya arrived in Indonesia final yr, UNHCR information confirmed, surpassing the variety of arrivals within the earlier 4 years mixed.
The 2023 toll of at the very least 569 Rohingya useless or lacking whereas making an attempt to flee Myanmar or Bangladesh was the best since 2014, the UNHCR stated in January.
Babar Baloch, a UNHCR Asia spokesperson, informed Reuters on Friday there had been 151 folks on this newest boat, some 75 of whom have been evacuated by native authorities, whereas the remaining had been “presumed useless or lacking”.
Faisal Rahman, UNHCR’s safety affiliate in Aceh, informed Reuters the surviving Rohingya had been in a great situation and had been staying at a Crimson Cross constructing in West Aceh.
The immigration company in Aceh didn’t reply to a request for remark.