UN appeals for Rescue of Rohingya Refugees Stranded

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Monday appealed for the rescue of a group of Rohingya refugees adrift in the Andaman Sea.

UNHCR said in a statement that many of them were sick and suffering from dehydration while several of them had already died.

The agency said that they were on a boat that left Bangladesh about 10 days ago but had been adrift at sea since engine failure.

“In the absence of precise information as to the refugees’ location, we have alerted the authorities of the relevant maritime states of these reports and appealed for their swift assistance, should the vessel be found in their area of responsibility for search and rescue.

“Immediate action is needed to save lives and prevent further tragedy,’’ it said.