Boat Capsize: Seven more bodies of Rohingyas recovered

The Coast Guard officials of the East Zone yesterday and police recovered seven more bodies of Rohingyas from the coastal parts of Sandwip upazila of Chattogram, raising the death toll to 11 so far from Saturday's boat capsizing of Rohingyas in the Bay of Bengal.

A boat carrying 30 Rohingyas capsized in the Bay of Bengal while fleeing from Bhasan Char; 11 were rescued alive from the sea by a fishing trawler on Saturday.

Police recovered a body of Rohingya on early Tuesday while in the morning Coast Guard personnel recovered six more bodies of Rohingya near the Sandwip's coastal parts during patrolling, said Coast Guard East Zone's Zonal Commander Kazi Shah Alam.

So far 11 bodies were recovered following the boat capsizing incident and the bodies were sent to Bhasan Char for identification by relatives, the Coast Guard officials said.

In Chattogram, more than 100 Rohingyas, including women and children, have been detained after they fled Bhasan Char on boats and reached Mirsarai and Sandwip upazilas at different times, said a police source.

According to the police, the Rohingyas managed to flee the island with the help of local brokers despite lots of aids in Bhasan Char.

Bhasan Char housing facilities in Noakhali's Hatiya has been built to relocate the Rohingyas from Cox's Bazar.