Disaster on the Malaysian-Thai border: 70 migrants drown amid ongoing rescue efforts.

Arabian Sea Newspaper - Special

Arab Sea - Follow-ups: Malaysian authorities announced on Monday that a boat carrying refugees from the Rohingya minority sank near the maritime border between Malaysia and Thailand, carrying about 70 people. The fate of a second boat carrying approximately 230 passengers remains unknown. During a press conference, an official in the Malaysian Maritime Authority confirmed that seven bodies have been recovered so far, and 13 survivors have been found in the ongoing search operations. He added that efforts are continuing to find the missing. For its part, the Thai authorities announced earlier today that its rescue teams found four other bodies as part of the same operation, bringing the confirmed death toll to 11 so far. Rohingya refugees face difficult humanitarian conditions, and many are forced to risk dangerous sea voyages to escape persecution and poverty in Myanmar, hoping to reach a safe haven in neighboring countries such as Malaysia or Indonesia.