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Bodies of three Rohingya refugees found at sea
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Rohingya people sit atop their overturned boat on March 21, 2024, in the waters off Meulaboh, West Aceh, Aceh. (Antara /Siyfa Yulinnas)
T
he bodies of three Rohingya refugees whose boat capsized off the coast of West Aceh have been found over the weekend, while dozens of others remain missing.
A wooden boat believed to be carrying around 150 Rohingya capsized at sea last week, leading local authorities and fishermen in West Aceh to search for survivors.
The bodies of two women were found on Saturday morning and the body of a boy was found later in the evening off the coast of neighboring Aceh Jaya regency, according to Aceh Jaya Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) head Fajri on Sunday, kompas.id reported.
The bodies were taken to a hospital in Aceh Jaya for identification.
Local fishermen reportedly spotted many more bodies at sea. Survivors of the accident told the authorities that a number of fellow refugees had been lost at sea.
Over 70 Rohingya refugees are “presumed dead or missing”, which if confirmed would make the incident “the biggest maritime tragedy in Asian waters this year”, according to United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) spokesperson Babar Baloch on social media platform X on Friday.
Read also: Two Rohingya found dead at sea after Indonesia ends survivor search
