A boat carrying Rohingya refugees sank in the sea off Teknaf, Cox's Bazar, while they were attempting to enter Bangladesh from Myanmar.
The incident occurred around 2:30am on Friday, in the sea near the western side of Shahparir Dwip in Teknaf, reports Bangla Tribune.
Confirming the boat sinking, Lieutenant Colonel Ashikur Rahman, the commander of the Teknaf-2 Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) Battalion, said that 25 Rohingyas, including a child, had been rescued alive so far, while some Rohingyas and a BGB member remain missing.
The missing BGB member was stationed at the Teknaf Shahparir Dwip BGB outpost.
Abdul Mannan, a local UP member of Shahparir Dwip in Teknaf, mentioned that he had heard about the boat carrying Rohingyas sinking and that several Rohingyas, along with a BGB member were missing.
Locals reported seeing a boat carrying Rohingyas from Myanmar floating in the sea near Shahparir Dwip's western side and signaled a fishing boat owned by Mohammad Amin to stop.
A BGB member boarded the boat with the Rohingyas, but the boat sank in the rough seas.
A search operation continued to find the missing BGB member and the remaining Rohingyas.
According to survivors, over 50 people were on the boat when it sank.
Amin, the owner of the fishing boat, said that the BGB member had taken his boat to intercept the Rohingya boat.
However, during their attempt to bring the boat to shore, it capsized due to the strong waves, he said.
Abdul Gofur, the general secretary of the Shahparir Dwip west jetty, confirmed the incident and mentioned that several Rohingyas had been rescued, but a BGB member was also missing after attempting to assist with the rescue.
Teknaf Upazila Executive Officer Sheikh Ehsan Uddin said that they were aware of the boat sinking incident and that law enforcement agencies are working on the matter.
