GENEVA: The United Nations (UN) called Saturday for the immediate rescue of around 185 people, mainly children and women, on a distressed boat last heard to be near the Nicobar and Andaman Islands in the Indian Ocean.
About 70 of those onboard are kids and around 88 are women, the UNHCR refugee agency stated.
The UNHCR said that several people are feared to be in serious condition with one person reported to have already passed away. The statement maintained that several more could die under the watch of numerous coastal nations without timely rescue and disembarkation to the nearest venue of safety.
UN Urges Rescue of Around 185 Rohingyas on Boat in Indian Ocean
UNHCR spokesperson Babar Baloch said that the UN agency was reaching out to all the coastal officials in the area to rescue the Rohingyas. He said that it is really an anxious situation.
Thousands of Muslim Rohingya, heavily mistreated in Myanmar, undertake dangerous sea journeys from Myanmar and camps in Bangladesh annually attempting to reach Indonesia or Malaysia.
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Over 2,000 Rohingya are believed to have made attempt the dangerous journey to Southeast Asian nations in 2022, UNHCR said.
And since last year, over 570 people, including Rohingya refugees, have dead or missing at sea in the region, the UNHCR maintained.
