A Bangladesh coast guard rescued 396 Rohingya from a boat which had been adrift for weeks after a failed attempt to reach Malaysia. At least 24 Rohingya died at sea, according to coast guard on Thursday.
"They were at sea for about two months and were starving," said an official from the coast guard.
Rohingya from Myanmar have long been boarding boats for years organized by smugglers in the goal of finding refuge in Southeast Asia. They usually undertake voyages during November to March's dry season when the waters are calm.
Following a tip-off, the coast guard patrol set on a three-day search for the boat, locating it at the evening of the country's southeastern coast, said spokesman Lieutenant Shah Zia Rahman.
The "starving" passengers were rescued from a huge, overcrowded fishing trawler and were transferred to a beach close to the coastal town of Teknaf, Rahman added.
They failed to reach their destination after Malaysia increased coastal patrols due to the COVID-19 threat.
The refugees, mainly women and children, were taken into custody by authorities after the vessel anchored at the Baharchhara jetty, south of Bazar district in Cox.
It is not known whether the refugees had set off from Bangladesh or Myanmar, where they are initially from.
A crackdown by the Myanmar military in 2017 resulted in the death of thousands of Rohingya and forced more than 700,000 to flee to neighboring Bangladesh.
Authorities provided varying accounts of whether the people rescued had been included in the hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims who are living in Bangladesh's refugee camps after escaping religious and ethnic violence in Myanmar.
According to a human rights group, they believe more boats are carrying Rohingya, the Muslim minority group from Myanmar, were lost at sea.
The ship was brought to shore late on Wednesday, the Bangladesh coast guard said.
The official from the coast guard said a "final decision" had been made to send rescued passengers to neighboring Myanmar. Initially, the figure has been 382 who had been rescued but was later revised higher.
Video images showed the crowd, including those stick-thin and unable to stand, being assisted to shore. One skin and bones man laid on the sand.
"They were floating for 58 days. And over the last seven days it was moving in our territorial waters," Rahman said.
Many refugees aim to journey to Malaysia or Thailand in hopes of finding employment.
The refugees reportedly made deals with traffickers and crossed to the ship on smaller boats.
Officials delayed interrogating the refugees over a cautionary measure that they may be infected with the coronavirus.
"We have cordoned off the place where they have landed. We could not question them because of the fear they could be infected with the coronavirus," Rahman said.
Pictures circulated on social media showing the groups of emaciated people standing on a beach.
According to A.B.M. Masud Hossain, superintendent of police in Cox's Bazar, rescued people were coaxed by traffickers and the boat's owner was a Myanmar Buddhist.
The rescued refugees were from Bangladesh camps, others said.
