15 killed as boat carrying Rohingya refugees capsizes

Dhaka: At least 15 people were killed after a boat carrying Rohingya refugees capsized near Saint Martin’s Island in the Bay of Bengal on Tuesday (local time), reported CNN citing Bangladeshi authorities.

The outlet quoted Captain Waseem Maqsood, coastguard commander in the Chittagong division, as saying that 71 people were rescued alive.

The boat was carrying 130 Rohingyas.

Local media quoted Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen as saying that the trawler that sank in the Bay was carrying those Rohingyas who used to live outside the camps and they were trying to go to Malaysia illegally.

According to Dhaka Tribune, Bangladesh has been hosting more than 1 million Rohingya refugees in camps in Cox Bazar.