According to the UN Refugee Agency, the vast majority of those on board are women and children. More than ten people are feared to be in critical condition.
Federate nations called on Saturday to rescue 185 people from a ship in distress adrift in the Indian Ocean. This is reported by the news agency AFP.
Spokesperson for the UN refugee agency UNHCR Babar Baloch confirmed to AFP that those on board are Rohingya refugees. According to the organization, there are 70 children and 88 women among those on board.
The ship's last known location is near India's Andaman and Nicobar island group. According to Baloch, the UN has appealed to the local coastal authorities to rescue the refugees.
UNHCR says in the announcement that the condition of more than ten people is feared to be critical. In addition, according to the information it received, one person has already died.
The organization warns that many others on board are in danger of dying without quick rescue measures and the possibility to get ashore at the nearest safe destination.
Baloch described the situation to AFP as desperate.
Thousands Persecuted Rohingya refugees in Myanmar try to escape every year via the dangerous sea route to Malaysia or Indonesia, either directly from Myanmar or from refugee camps in Bangladesh.
According to UNHCR, last year more than 2,000 Rohingya tried to reach South Asian countries by sea. The organization says that according to statistics starting from 2022, 570 people have been reported dead or missing in the region, which also includes Rohingya.
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