IOM Calls To Rescue Rohingya Refugees Stranded At Sea In Bay Of Bengal Amid Cyclone Season

Fahad Shabbir (@FahadShabbir) Published May 28, 2020 | 11:21 PM

Rohingya refugees stuck on boats in the Bay of Bengal and Andaman sea require international assistance as the cyclone season starts, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Thursday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th May, 2020) Rohingya refugees stuck on boats in the Bay of Bengal and Andaman sea require international assistance as the cyclone season starts, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Thursday.

"A coordinated response to this situation, inclusive of search and rescue operations and safe disembarkation, is urgently needed to ensure that those who are still stranded at sea can be brought to safety on land," IOM's Director General Antonio Vitorino said, as quoted by the organization's press release.

According to IOM, the start of the cyclone season was marked by Cyclone Amphan, which hit South Asia in mid-May and killed over 100 people across India and Bangladesh.

The UN-related agency believes that some 500 Rohingya refugees and migrants are currently stranded at sea.

The press release also recalled that more than 30 refugees aboard a smuggler's vessel died in mid-April after being stuck at sea for more than two months. The Rohingyas were trying to reach Malaysia.