By The Stateless Rohingya

Two boats carrying Rohingya civilians, who are fleeing the campaign of atrocities in Myanmar, capsized in Naf River on Thursday, August 31, 2017.

Nineteen bodies of mostly women and children were brought to a shore on the side of Teknaf, Bangladesh, while many are yet to be recovered from the water.

According to Bangladesh News Paper Protom Alo, the local people who retrieved the bodies, found 10 children as young as 5 years old and 9 women including elderly ladies. The drowning reportedly took place between 1am and 7am in the early morning of Thursday.

The victims’ place of origin will be updated when any survivors of the capsized boats are found.

Vulnerable Rohingya women and children who are indiscriminately targeted by Myanmar military after the clashed with Rohingya insurgents, flee risking their lives in the hostile water of Naf River as well as open-fire of the military.

More than 20,000 have already entered into Bangladesh while many thousands are still stranded on Myanmar-Bangladesh border. It is estimated that many thousands are killed in the atrocious campaign since August 25, 2017.

The United Nations and other human rights organizations have strong evidence that amounts to “crimes against humanity” being committed by the military against the Rohingya civilians since October 9, 2016.