70 Rohingyas  feared to be dead after boat capsizes off Indonesia

More than 70 Rohingya people are feared to be dead after a boat capsized off the coast of Indonesia's Aceh province.

The UNHCR said in a joint statement on Friday with the International Organization for Migration that “if the death toll is confirmed, it will be the biggest loss of life so far this year”.

While about 70 Rohingya people have been rescued who were on board, the UNHCR refugee agency said on Friday.

The boat ran into trouble some 19km (12 miles) from the beach of Kuala Bubon on the west coast of Aceh on Wednesday morning.

The alert was raised on Wednesday when fishermen rescued six of the migrants. A fishing community in Aceh said they had been standing on the hull of the boat after it capsized due to high tides.