Trawler capsize: Authorities rescue another Rohingya survivor, sue 19 'agents'

A case has been started with Teknaf police against 19 people over their involvement in trafficking Rohingya refugees to Malaysia by sea.

It came after a trawler carrying Rohingya refugees sank in the Bay of Bengal on Tuesday, leaving at least 15 people dead and dozens of others missing.

The case was filed by MS Islam, an officer of the Coast Guard Contingent on St Martin's Island, on Tuesday and it implicates several other unidentified suspects, according to Teknaf Police OC Pradip Kumar Das.

Police have so far detained eight 'agents', including four survivors of the disaster near St Martin's Island, according to OC Pradip.

"Four named suspects in the case were arrested during drives in various parts of Teknaf since Tuesday night. Prior to that, we arrested four others who were rescued from the Bay. Among them, two are members of the Rohingya community and six are Bangladeshi citizens."

The arrestees have been sent to a court, said the OC, adding that efforts to apprehend the  other suspects are ongoing.

The other survivors will also be produced in court by the police. The authorities will then take appropriate actions against them in accordance with the court's directions.

Rescuers plucked another Rohingya out of the Bay alive off the coast of St Martin's Island early Wednesday, according to the Bangladesh Coast Guard.

He received first aid at St Martin's Health Complex before being placed in the custody of Teknaf police, said Lt Commander Naeem-ul-Haque, in-charge of the Coast Guard's station on St Martin's.