Dozens of Rohingya refugees are feared dead or missing after their boat capsized off Indonesia’s westernmost coast this week, the United Nations said on Friday, as local rescuers called off the search despite survivor accounts that many were swept away.
The mostly Muslim Rohingya are heavily persecuted in Myanmar, and thousands risk their lives each year to try to reach Malaysia or Indonesia.
If those still missing are confirmed to have died, it would represent the biggest loss of life for the Rohingya at sea this year, according to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR).
