Â鶹´«Ã½

Skip to main content

Boat carrying Rohingya migrants capsizes in the Bay of Bengal, killing at least 17

Refugees and migrants are rescued by members of the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms, after leaving Libya trying to reach European soil aboard an overcrowded rubber boat, north of the Libyan coast, May 6, 2018.  (Felipe Dana/AP Photo) Refugees and migrants are rescued by members of the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms, after leaving Libya trying to reach European soil aboard an overcrowded rubber boat, north of the Libyan coast, May 6, 2018. (Felipe Dana/AP Photo)
Share
BANGKOK -

A boat carrying minority Rohingya migrants from Myanmar has capsized in the Bay of Bengal, leaving at least 17 people dead and about 30 missing, a rescue official said Thursday.

About 55 people were on the boat when it left Buthidaung township in the western state of Rakhine last weekend, said Byar La, general secretary of Shwe Yaung Metta Foundation.

Eight people survived the weekend accident in the sea near Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine, he said. The boat was headed for Malaysia and the exact time and cause of the capsizing were unknown, he said.

Byar La said 17 bodies, including 10 women, were recovered along the shore in Sittwe, about 335 kilometres (210 miles) west of the national capital, Naypyitaw, between Monday and Wednesday.

The eight survivors were taken away by Myanmar's security forces, he said.

Members of rescue teams and the authorities were continuing to search for the missing people, he said.

Rakhine state Attorney General Hla Thein said bodies had been found on the shore since Monday but the exact number and other details were not yet known.

"I only heard that the boat had left illegally and capsized in the Bay of Bengal," Hla Thein said by phone.

Rohingya, a Muslim minority, have long been persecuted in Buddhist-majority Myanmar. More than 700,000 have fled from Myanmar to refugee camps in Bangladesh since August 2017, when the military launched a clearance operation against the minority in response to attacks by a rebel group.

Myanmar's military has rejected accusations that security forces committed mass rapes and killings and burned thousands of homes in the clearance campaign. The U.S. government has labeled the military's actions as genocide.

More than 100,000 Rohingya remain in Myanmar, confined to squalid displacement camps, in addition to those living in crowded refugee camps in Bangladesh.

Groups of Rohingya from camps in both countries have embarked on hazardous voyages to the Muslim-majority countries of Malaysia and Indonesia to seek better living conditions.

Myanmar has denied citizenship to most Rohingya. They are also denied freedom of movement and other rights including education. Authorities in Myanmar say the Rohingya migrated illegally from Bangladesh, even though many of their families have lived in Myanmar for decades.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

An Edmonton man says he was in the wrong place at the wrong time when he was injured by members of the Edmonton Police Service last year.

BREAKING

BREAKING

The brother of a 27-year-old man who was fatally shot in Scarborough over the weekend has been arrested and charged in connection with his death, say police.

Local Spotlight

Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.

Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.