Boat with 35 Rohingyas sinks in Naf
While Rohingyas continue to cross into Bangladesh, a boat with some 35 of them, including children and women, reportedly sank in the Naf river near Cox's Bazar's Teknaf yesterday.
However, it could not immediately be confirmed whether there were any casualties.
One of them, who survived, claimed that three of her relatives were dead and many could be missing.
Rehena Begum, 23, told reporters that the accident happened when the overloaded boat turned over near Bangladesh border around 5:00am.
The boat, which was carrying some 35 Rohingyas, had started from a village in Maungdaw in Myanmar around 10:30pm Sunday.
After the accident, three Bangladeshi fishermen rescued Rehena and took her to the shore, said local fishermen.
The Rohingyas were taken in the boat by four brokers -- Mohammad Ismail, Arafat, Mohammad Hashim and Mohammad Salam alias Guijja Boli, alleged the woman who later took shelter at her brother-in-law's home in Zadimura Nayapara area in Hnila union of Teknaf.
Rehana claimed that she contacted her relatives over phone and found out that the bodies of her mother Bilkis, sister-in-law Monira Begum and nephew Mohammad Shoaib, who were also in that boat, were recovered and handed over to their families in Myanmar.
She does not know what happened to her two other nephews and other passengers.
Talking to The Daily Star, the three Bangladeshi fishermen, who rescued Rehena, claimed that they saw three bodies floating in the river.
Hnila Union Parishad Member Mohammad Ali said he heard about the incident.
Local sources said Rehena was taken to BGB's Nayapara BOP camp and was provided with humanitarian assistance along with emergency treatment.
Contacted, BGB-2 Battalion Commanding Officer Lt Col Abu Jar Al Zahid said he also heard about the incident. He said BGB members were sent to the spot.
He also said the incident might have happened in the Myanmar waters.
Recently, UN estimated that at least 10,000 people have fled to Bangladesh in the last few weeks to avoid persecution by Myanmar military and police upon Muslim Rohingyas. However the local people from Cox's Bazar estimates that the number would be around 30,000.
Around 350,000 Myanmar citizens known as Rohingya who fled Myanmar during different times have been living in Bangladesh for decades. Only 33,000 of them are living in two registered Rohingya camps while others are living in different slums in Cox's Bazar and other places.
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