Hundreds of Rohingya refugees adrift at sea between Bangladesh and Myanmar
About 200 mostly Muslim Rohingya have been drifting for several days in the Andaman Sea between Bangladesh and Myanmar after their boat broke down.
"The boat's engine has broken down, so they are drifting without sufficient food and water. Their relatives in Bangladesh have told Human Rights Watch (HRW) that between 8 and 16 refugees have already died," said the Asian branch of the NGO, reports France 24.
The boat reportedly left the coast of Bangladesh from Teknaf to Malaysia on 25 November.
Rohingyas have long suffered discrimination and persecution in Myanmar and more than a million people have fled since a brutal military crackdown in 2017. The majority of them have gone to neighbouring Bangladesh or to other Muslim countries like Malaysia and Indonesia.