Ten Rohingya refugees, including several children, died as their boat capsized in the Bay of Bengal on Tuesday.
The bodies were recovered from the sea near Teknaf upazila in Cox's Bazar. It was known that there were 31 Rohingya refugees on the boat and 21 of them are still missing.
The accident occurred around noon on Tuesday off the coast of Habirchara and Razarchar points in Teknaf Sadar Union. They were fleeing from the ongoing conflict between the Arakan Army and armed forces in Myanmar's Rakhine State to Bangladesh.
Though the identities of the deceased could not be ascertained, it was confirmed that there were 9 women and children among the deceased.
Teknaf Model Police Station officer-in-charge Osman Goni said, "Fishermen have recovered the bodies of ten Rohingyas.We have instructed local representatives to take necessary steps."
Abdur Rashid, an UP member of Teknaf Sadar Union, said, "Ten bodies have been recovered following the boat capsizing incident. According to police instructions, preparations are underway to hand over the bodies to their relatives in the camp."
Lieutenant Colonel Md. Mohiuddin Ahmed, commander of Teknaf-2 Battalion, stated that security has been tightened to prevent illegal crossings. "The civil war in Myanmar is still ongoing. However, we remain vigilant at the border," he added.
