Vessel saves 154 Rohingyas from sinking boat

A Vietnamese oil service vessel rescued 154 people from a sinking boat in the Andaman Sea and has transferred them to Myanmar's navy, state media reported, a group that was confirmed by activists as minority Rohingya.

The vessel, Hai Duong 29, was en route from Singapore to Myanmar when it spotted the boat in distress 285 miles (458.7 km) south of the Myanmar coast on Wednesday, VTCNews said in a report aired late on Thursday.

The boat's engine was not working and water was leaking into its hull, the VTCNews report said, adding it sank one hour after those aboard had been saved.

Of the 154 people rescued, 40 were women and 31 were children.

It is unclear when or exactly from where the vessel carrying the 154 people departed.

However, an earlier Myanmar junta statement said the group had come from a refugee camp in Bangladesh and intended to reach Indonesia.