Death toll rises to 27 after Rohingya boat sinks off Malaysia

Malaysian and Thai authorities have recovered 27 bodies after a boat carrying Rohingya refugees capsized near Langkawi, with dozens still missing and survivors describing days adrift at sea.

At least 27 people have died after a boat carrying Rohingya refugees sank off the coast of Malaysia, officials said on Tuesday, as search-and-rescue efforts continue across waters near the Thai-Malaysian maritime border.

One survivor, Iman Sharif, said he clung to wreckage for several days after the vessel capsized, eventually washing up on a Malaysian island. “I saw one person die. They drowned,” he told reporters after being taken into custody by Malaysian authorities.

Iman said he had travelled for eight days on a large boat before being moved to a smaller vessel carrying about 70 people. That boat sank shortly afterwards.

The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency said 13 survivors and 12 bodies were recovered in its waters since Saturday. Thai officials reported the discovery of at least six additional bodies near Koh Tarutao, while a Malaysian spokesperson initially placed the Thai toll at nine.

Officials said about 300 people had boarded a boat bound for Malaysia two weeks ago. They were later transferred to two vessels, one of which sank. The fate of the roughly 230 people on the other boat remains unknown.

More than 5,300 Rohingya have attempted similar journeys by sea from Myanmar and Bangladesh this year alone, according to a joint statement by the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). At least 600 have been reported dead or missing.

UNHCR and IOM urged Southeast Asian governments to provide assistance and coordinate rescue efforts. “Until the drivers of onward movement and the root causes of forced displacement in Myanmar are resolved, refugees will continue to undertake dangerous journeys,” they said.

The Rohingya, a stateless Muslim minority, have faced decades of persecution in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, where authorities deny them citizenship. Many have also fled overcrowded refugee camps in Bangladesh.

Malaysia, which does not officially recognise refugee status, has increasingly turned away boats and detained Rohingya as part of a wider crackdown on undocumented migrants.

Joe Freeman, a Myanmar researcher with Amnesty International, said regional governments must ensure safe landing and protection for refugees. “Under no circumstances push them back out to sea where they would face obviously more dangers and risks,” he told Reuters.

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