Scores of Rohingya refugees, attempting to flee a remote Bangladeshi island, have been missing since the early hours of Saturday as a boat carrying them capsized in the Bay of Bengal, officials said.
“Refugees were on board the boat when it capsized last late night. Some 14 of them have returned unharmed,” Mahe Alam, police chief on the Bhasan Char island, told Anadolu Agency over the telephone.
He added a joint rescue operation conducted by police, coast guard, navy and air force is still ongoing to reach out to the missing ones.
Bangladesh in several phases have relocated nearly 20,000 Rohingya on the island amid opposition from the international community over the safety at the distant location reportedly prone to natural disasters.
