UN Expresses Concern Over Hundreds of Rohingya’s Deaths

(MENAFN) The United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, expressed grave concern on Friday over the possible loss of 427 Rohingya lives following two maritime disasters that occurred earlier this month off Myanmar’s coast.

The individuals were reportedly attempting to flee in pursuit of protection and sanctuary.

Preliminary accounts indicated that 514 Rohingya individuals were aboard two separate vessels.

Although specifics are still under investigation, the UNHCR confirmed this information in an official release.

The first vessel was transporting 267 passengers.

A significant number of those on board are believed to have departed from displacement settlements located in the southeastern Cox’s Bazar area of Bangladesh, while the rest are said to have come from Myanmar’s Rakhine State.

This boat sank on May 9, leaving only 66 individuals alive.

Bangladesh has been providing shelter to over 1.3 million Rohingya Muslims who were forced to escape violence and oppression following a military assault in Myanmar that began in August 2017.

The second vessel, carrying 247 Rohingya, also included people escaping from both the Cox’s Bazar camps and Rakhine State. It capsized on May 10, with just 21 people managing to survive.

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