CNN —Rescue teams have found at least 17 bodies on Myanmar’s shores after a Rohingya boat capsized while on its way to Malaysia on Monday, officials told CNN.
Among the dead were 10 women and seven men – all of whom were Rohingya Muslims, said Bya Latt, a spokesperson for the Shwe Yaung Matta Foundation rescue group.
A Sittwe police official told CNN that the boat was transporting 58 people, including three boat drivers.
“They were met with a storm in the sea and the boat sank under huge waves,” the official said, asking not to be identified.
The perilous voyage from Cox’s Bazaar to Malaysia can take weeks, and conditions at sea are challenging, experts have noted.
Persons:
–, Bya Latt, Shwe Yaung Matta, Latt
Organizations:
CNN — Rescue, CNN, Shwe Yaung, Shwe Yaung Matta Foundation
Locations:
Malaysia, Rakhine, Sittwe, Rathedaung, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Cox’s Bazar