Weeping, weak and soaked, dozens of Rohingya refugees rescued after night on hull of capsized boat

Rohingya refugees on board a National Search and Rescue Agency vessel after they were rescued from their capsized boat off the coast at a port in Meulaboh, West Aceh on March 21, 2024. - AFP

MEULABOH, Indonesia: An Indonesian search and rescue ship on Thursday (March 21) located a capsized wooden boat that had been carrying dozens of Rohingya Muslim refugees, and began pulling survivors who had been standing on its hull to safety.

An AP photographer aboard the rescue ship said 10 people had been taken aboard local fishing boats and another 59 were being saved by the Indonesian craft.