Dozens of Rohingya missing as boat sinks near Bangladesh

Dozens are missing and feared drowned after a boat packed with Rohingya fleeing violence in Myanmar and trying to reach Bangladesh sank in a border river Monday, reports and a Bangladeshi fisherman said.

Dozens are missing and feared drowned after a boat packed with Rohingya fleeing violence in Myanmar and trying to reach Bangladesh sank in a border river Monday, reports and a Bangladeshi fisherman said.

Thousands of Rohingya have arrived in Bangladesh after an outbreak of violence in western Myanmar, where the military is alleged to have committed mass rape and murder and burned villages.

A Bangladeshi fisherman said he had rescued one woman who told him her “overcrowded” boat had sunk in the NafRiver after it was chased by a Myanmar army speedboat.

An estimated 30,000 Rohingya have been forced to leave their homes since a bloody October crackdown by the Myanmar army in Rakhine state, where many of them live.

At least 10,000 have arrived in Bangladesh, the United Nations said last week, although Bangladesh says it has prevented large numbers from entering.