Boat sinks off west Burma with a group of Muslims

evacuating people ahead of Cyclone Mahasen

A boat carrying Rohingya Muslims has sunk off western Burma, aid agencies say.

The boat, said to be carrying up to 200 passengers, was evacuating people ahead of Cyclone Mahasen, which is expected to hit the area later in the week.

The boat sank off Pauktaw township in Rakhine state late on Monday, leaving an unknown number of people missing.

The UN had called for an urgent evacuation ahead of the storm, warning that many areas where displaced people are now living are in low-lying coastal areas at risk of flooding or tidal surges.

Aid agencies said that three boats carrying between 100 and 200 people got into trouble after setting out on Monday night.

At least one boat, which was towing the other two smaller boats, sank, and dozens of people are still missing.

Burmese officials began evacuations this week, after warnings the cyclone may hit neighbouring Bangladesh from Thursday, bringing heavy rain and flooding to western Burma.

This could hit an estimated 140,000 displaced people who have been displaced since violent clashes between Rakhine's Muslim and Buddhist communities in June and October 2012.

"The government has been repeatedly warned to make appropriate arrangements for those displaced in Rakhine state," Isabelle Arradon, deputy Asia Pacific director of the rights group Amnesty International, said in a statement on Monday.

Five years ago, Cyclone Nargis struck Burma's Irrawaddy Delta region, killing at least 140,000 people and leaving three million in urgent need of assistance.
Source: BBC Posted by Unknown 5/14/2013