69 were discovered drifting off the coast of Aceh Province on Thursday in a dramatic rescue after spending more than a time standing on the deck of a wrecked ship. Around 150 refugees were said to be aboard. Six people had already been saved by sailors the day before.
” There is no further information that we received about missing people, and there is no present of the boat”, said Rachman.
” Our research is the ship cannot carry 150 people”.
However, according to local fishermen and officials, some earlier veteran accounts suggested many more people were left aground.
According to West Aceh fish group secretary-general Pawang Amiruddin, who spoke to AFP by telephone on Wednesday, there were “around 150 people on the boat,” according to individuals.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees ( UNHCR ) also said it was “deeply concerned” about the incident.
A protection associate for the agency, Faisal Rahman, told AFP on Thursday that one of the survivors said” the boat took 151 people – once the boat capsized, approximately around 50 people ( were ) maybe missing and passed away”.