A boat packed with 50 Rohingya Muslims, who were aiming to sneak into Bangladesh from Myanmar, capsised in the sea of Teknaf in Cox's Bazar on Friday midnight, leaving many people missing.
They were trying to infiltrate into Bangladesh coast of Teknaf upazila in Cox's Bazar, according to the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB).
The incident occurred around 2:30am on Friday, in the sea near the western side of Shahparir Dwip in Teknaf.
Confirming the incident, Lt Col Ashikur Rahman, the BGB commander of the Teknaf-2 Battalion, said 25 Rohingyas, including a child, had been rescued alive so far, while some Rohingyas and a BGB member remain missing.
He said the missing BGB member was stationed at the Teknaf Shahparir Dwip BGB outpost.
A search operation continued to find the missing BGB member and the remaining Rohingyas. Public representatives, trawler owners, boat owners, local residents, and ghat leaders said BGB members on patrol saw a boat carrying Rohingyas approaching the shore at the Friday midnight. Then a boat from the ghat stopped them. At some point, the Rohingya-laden trawler sank on the rough seas.
Teknaf Upazila Nirbahi Officer Sheikh Ehsan Uddin said they have heard that a boat carrying Rohingyas has capsized. "Law enforcement agencies are working on this matter," he added.
