MEULABOH: The bodies of at least 11 Rohingya refugees have been recovered off Indonesia’s westernmost coast after their boat believed to be carrying nearly 150 people capsized last week, officials said Monday.
Indonesian rescuers called off the search for any remaining survivors on Friday after 75 persons were rescued. Despite initial reports suggesting that dozens may have been swept away when the boat and another vessel attempting to aid them capsized, only a fraction of those onboard were rescued.
Muhammad Fathur Rachman, head of the local search and rescue operation, confirmed the discovery of nearly half-a-dozen bodies of Rohingya women at sea, approximately 14 nautical miles (26 kilometers) from the shore. “Six more bodies are being evacuated right now,” he stated, noting that the bodies would be transported to the hospital.
Earlier reports from the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) indicated the recovery of five bodies in recent days. The tragedy unfolded after authorities conducted a dramatic rescue operation on Thursday, saving 69 Rohingya who had been adrift at sea for weeks before the boat capsized. Six additional persons were rescued by fishermen the previous day.
The influx of Rohingya refugees into Indonesia has been on the rise, with worsening conditions in refugee camps in Bangladesh and ongoing violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine State driving the desperate attempts to seek refuge elsewhere.
From mid-November to late January, a total of 1,752 Rohingya refugees, primarily women and children, arrived in the Indonesian provinces of Aceh and North Sumatra, marking the largest influx into the Muslim-majority country since 2015, as reported by the UNHCR.
