About 250 people are missing after a boat carrying Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi nationals capsized in the Andaman Sea. The boat sank due to heavy winds, rough seas, and overcrowding. The vessel had departed from Teknaf in southern Bangladesh and was bound for Malaysia. The Bangladesh Coast Guard rescued nine people from the sea on April 9, according to a spokesperson. The total number of fatalities from this shipwreck has not been confirmed, with only missing persons reported so far, and the identity and nationality breakdown of all passengers remains incomplete beyond the mention of Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi nationals. Rescue operations are ongoing in the Andaman Sea, but the exact number of survivors and the full scope of the incident remain unclear.
In the Mediterranean Sea, more than 70 migrants are feared to have died after a boat capsized, according to the German rescue group Sea-Watch. The boat capsized after leaving the port of Tajoura, Libya, in turbulent weather conditions. Thirty-two survivors were rescued by an Italian merchant ship and a ship from Liberia, and two bodies were recovered from the shipwreck, according to the International Organisation for Migration and UN Refugee Agency. The incident underscores the dangers faced by migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean from North Africa.
Off Turkey's Mediterranean coast, at least 14 migrants drowned after a boat collided with a coast guard vessel, according to the Anadolu Agency. The collision occurred near Demre, Antalya province, on Monday, March 9. Seven people were rescued from the sea, and 14 others reached the shore and were detained, the agency reported. This collision highlights the risks of maritime accidents during migration routes in the Mediterranean region.
In the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, at least nine people are dead and 45 are missing after a migrant boat capsized off the coast of Djibouti, according to the UN migration agency. The boat capsized on Tuesday while attempting to cross the strait en route to Yemen. The vessel was carrying more than 300 people and left the Djiboutian port town of Obock, the International Organization for Migration confirmed. The Bab el-Mandeb Strait is a critical and hazardous crossing point for migrants traveling from the Horn of Africa to the Arabian Peninsula.