The alert was raised on Wednesday after fishermen rescued six migrants, sparking a response from the fishing community in Aceh. They reported that the migrants had been found standing on the hull of the capsized boat, which had overturned due to high tides.
“UNHCR: Over 70 Rohingya Presumed Dead or Missing After Boat Capsizes off Indonesia’s Aceh Province; 75 Rescued” The UNHCR, in collaboration with the International Organization for Migration, stated in a joint announcement that if the death toll is verified, it would mark the largest loss of life recorded this year.
The alert was raised on Wednesday when fishermen rescued six of the migrants. A fishing community in Aceh said they had been standing on the hull of the boat after it capsized due to high tides.
In January, the UNHCR reported that the toll for 2023 stood at a minimum of 569 Rohingya individuals who were either dead or missing while attempting to escape from Myanmar or Bangladesh. This figure represented the highest recorded toll since 2014.
For years, Rohingya individuals have been fleeing Buddhist-majority Myanmar, where they face discrimination, denial of citizenship, and mistreatment as they are often perceived as foreign intruders from South Asia. Last year, according to UNHCR data, over 2,300 Rohingya arrived in Indonesia, a significant increase compared to the total number of arrivals in the previous four years combined.
Faisal Rahman, a protection associate with UNHCR in Aceh, informed Reuters that the Rohingya survivors were in good health and were currently being accommodated at a Red Cross facility in West Aceh.
