Death toll rises to 36 in Teknaf boat capsize
Local residents found the bodies between 10am and 11:30am, bringing the total number of victims to 15 women, 16 children, and 5 men over the last three days as they attempted to cross into Teknaf from Myanmar, upazila officers told The Business Standard.
The death toll from a boat capsize incident off the coast of Teknaf, Cox's Bazar, has risen to 36 with five more bodies of Rohingya refugees, who were trying to enter Bangladesh from Myanmar, recovered today (8 August).
Local residents found the bodies between 10am and 11:30am, bringing the total number of victims to 15 women, 16 children, and 5 men over the last three days as they attempted to cross into Teknaf from Myanmar, upazila officers told The Business Standard.
Among the deceased, four bodies, one woman, one child, and two men were recovered from the Naf River jetty area of Shah Porir Dwip under the Sabrang Union.
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Another body of an elderly woman was recovered from the southern shore of Shah Porir Dwip, Teknaf upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Md Adnan Chowdhury said.
"We learned about the recovery of the bodies through local representatives and residents. Arrangements are being made to bury the bodies in their respective areas," Adnan said.
Local sources reported that over the past few days, several groups of Rohingya refugees have attempted to enter Bangladesh by boat.
On Tuesday (6 August) one such boat capsized, and bodies have since been washing ashore. However, the exact number of boats that sank or the number of Rohingya on board remains unknown.
Some of the Rohingya who successfully entered have reached refugee camps, while others were detained and are currently in the custody of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB)
