Rohingya refugees drown as exodus mounts

Bangladesh coast guards have found the bodies of 20 people who drowned fleeing Myanmar, amid a rising exodus from Rakhine state. The group, mostly women and children from the Rohingya minority, were trying to escape a recent surge of violence. The crisis erupted after Rohingya rebels attacked 30 police stations last Friday, triggering a military […]

Bangladesh coast guards have found the bodies of 20 people who drowned fleeing Myanmar, amid a rising exodus from Rakhine state.

The group, mostly women and children from the Rohingya minority, were trying to escape a recent surge of violence.

The crisis erupted after Rohingya rebels attacked 30 police stations last Friday, triggering a military response.

More than 100 people, mostly insurgents, have been killed and more than 27,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled.

Authorities in Bangladesh have warned that people are becoming increasingly desperate and attempting to escape by boat.

A coast guard official said the migrants were trying to flee on “rickety inland fishing boats” poorly equipped for the rough seas around Bangladesh.

The UN in Bangladesh said on Thursday that some 27,400 were estimated to have crossed the border since Friday, up from 18,000 a day earlier.