SCORES of people, including many women and children, are feared to have drowned when a boat carrying Rohingya fleeing unrest in Myanmar sunk off the coast of Bangladesh, police have told Al Jazeera.
More than 100 Rohingya were on board the vessel when it capsized in rough seas around 5:30pm (11:30am GMT) close to Patuwartek, some 8km of Inani Beach in Cox’s Bazar District.
Seventeen survivors were found, along with 15 bodies of women and children, police said, while ambulances rushed to the scene.
“The Rohingya [survivors] are saying there were more than 100 on the boat,” Inspector Mohamed Kai Kislu told Al Jazeera.
“We fear we will find more bodies,” he added.