Dhaka: About 250 people, including children, are expected to be missing after a boat carrying Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi nationals capsized in the Andaman Sea, the United Nations said on Tuesday, Ahsan Tasnim reported. “The trawler, which was traveling from Teknaf in southern Bangladesh to Malaysia, reportedly sank due to strong winds, rough seas and overcrowding,” the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said in a statement.The UN refugee agency and the International Organization for Migration say the promise of higher wages abroad, often coupled with misinformation spread by smuggling networks, prompts Rohingya and Bangladeshis to take huge risks. “This incident reflects the horrific consequences of protracted displacement,” the UN agency said. “We urgently call on the international community to strengthen solidarity and sustain funding to support assistance to Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh and support for host communities in Bangladesh,” they said.
