Teknaf, Sept 23 (V7N) – Two people, including a woman and a child, were killed and another woman remains missing after a boat carrying Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshis sank off the coast of Teknaf while attempting to enter Bangladesh from Myanmar by sea, authorities said.
The incident occurred around 2 a.m. Tuesday near the Kachhapia boat landing area in Baharchhara Union of Teknaf upazila in Cox’s Bazar.
Bangladesh Coast Guard personnel rescued 16 people alive, including eight Bangladeshis and eight Rohingya refugees, after receiving information about the accident. The rescued people were later handed over to Teknaf Model Police Station, according to police.
Teknaf Model Police Station Officer-in-Charge Mohammad Saiful Islam confirmed the incident.
He said the boat sank while the passengers were attempting to enter Bangladesh illegally by sea from Myanmar. During the rescue operation, Coast Guard personnel recovered the bodies of a woman and a child. Another woman remains missing, and search and rescue operations are continuing to locate her.
During preliminary questioning, the rescued passengers told police that they had left Bangladesh about a year ago with the intention of travelling to Malaysia via Myanmar. They later attempted to return to Bangladesh by sea, police said.
The cause of the boat sinking is under investigation, the police officer said.
The bodies of the deceased were sent to the morgue at Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital for autopsies.
Police are also investigating the involvement of brokers allegedly connected to the sea journey and said legal action would be taken against those found responsible.
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