Dozens of Rohingya land in Indonesia after a month adrift at sea

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Dozens of hungry and weak Rohingya refugees were found on a beach in Indonesia’s northernmost province of Aceh after weeks at sea, officials said.

The group of 58 men arrived on Indrapatra beach at Ladong, a fishing village in Aceh Besar district, early on Sunday, according to local police chief Rolly Yuiza Away.

Villagers who saw the men from the mostly Muslim ethnic group on a rickety wooden boat helped them to land and then reported their arrival to authorities, he said.

“They look very weak from hunger and dehydration. Some of them are sick after a long and severe voyage at sea,” said Away, adding that the men received food and water from villagers and others as they waited for further instructions from immigration and local officials in Aceh.

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At least three of the men were rushed to a health clinic for medical care, and others were also receiving various medical treatments, Away said.

The United Nations and other groups on Friday urged countries in South Asia to rescue as many as 190 people believed to be Rohingya refugees on board a small boat that has been adrift for several weeks in the Andaman Sea.

“Reports indicate those onboard have now remained at sea for a month in dire conditions with insufficient food or water, without any efforts by States in the region to help save human lives,” the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said in a statement. “Many are women and children, with reports of up to 20 people dying on the unseaworthy vessel during the journey.”