2 Rohingya dead, 1 missing after boat capsizes off Bangladesh

Two Rohingya, a woman and a child, were killed and another Rohingya woman remained missing after a boat capsized off southeastern Bangladesh while they were crossing from Myanmar, police said Tuesday.

The vessel sank around 2 am near Kachhapia boat terminal in Baharchhara Union of Teknaf, a coastal subdistrict of Cox's Bazar, according to police.

Bangladesh Coast Guard personnel rescued 16 people -- eight Rohingya and eight Bangladeshis -- and recovered the bodies of the Rohingya woman and child, Mohammad Saiful Islam, officer-in-charge of Teknaf Model Police Station, told Anadolu.

Another Rohingya woman remained missing, and a search operation was underway, he added.

The survivors told police during preliminary questioning that they had left Bangladesh about a year ago and traveled to Myanmar with the intention of reaching Malaysia.

They were attempting to return to Bangladesh by sea when their boat capsized.

Police said they were investigating the cause of the sinking and working to identify brokers involved in arranging the journey.

The bodies were sent to Cox's Bazar Sadar Hospital for autopsies. Police said legal proceedings over the incident were underway.