The bodies of three Rohingya refugees were discovered in the sea as Indonesian authorities concluded a search for survivors from a boat that capsized near Aceh province. The provincial search and rescue agency reported that fishers and a search and rescue team managed to rescue 75 people from the overturned boat, including 44 men, 22 women, and nine children who had huddled on the hull throughout the night.
Following the rescue operation, a few survivors were taken to a local hospital for treatment, while the majority were relocated to a temporary shelter in the Aceh Barat district. Some survivors recounted the loss of family members during the perilous journey.
The bodies of two adult women and one boy, believed to be Rohingya refugees from the capsized boat, were found by the search and rescue team. The bodies were promptly transported to a hospital in Calang city in Aceh Jaya district for further procedures.
UNHCR staff in Aceh assisted in identifying the deceased, with some survivors aiding in the verification process. Local authorities in Aceh have received reports of additional bodies floating in nearby waters since the incident.
U.N. agencies expressed concerns that approximately 70 Rohingya refugees are feared missing or deceased after a boat sank off Indonesia's coast. The refugees had embarked on a challenging sea voyage from Bangladesh, where over a million Rohingya reside as refugees from Myanmar.
The Rohingya minority in Myanmar faces severe discrimination and lack of citizenship rights, with hundreds of thousands fleeing in 2017 to escape violence and persecution. Indonesia, along with Thailand and Malaysia, is not a signatory to the United Nations' 1951 Refugee Convention but often provides temporary shelter to refugees in distress.
