Rohingya boat sinks off west Burma
May 14, 2013
A boat carrying Rohingya Muslims has capsized off western Burma, aid agencies say.
The boat, said to be carrying up to 200 passengers, was evacuating people ahead of Cyclone Mahasen, which is expected to hit the area later in the week.
It sank off Pauktaw township in Rakhine state late on Monday, leaving an unknown number of people missing.
Tens of thousands of Rohingya Muslims are living in temporary camps in Rakhine after violence last year.
The UN had called for an urgent evacuation ahead of the storm, warning that many areas where displaced people are now living are in low-lying coastal areas at risk of flooding or tidal surges.
Barbara Manzi, head of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), told the BBC from Sittwe that search-and-rescue operations were ongoing.
"It appears that this boat left the camp with the blessing of the authorities before hitting rocks," she said.
There were between 100 and 200 people on board the boat, she added, with some survivors.
