Reuters/ Bdnews24.com, Published: 20 March 2024, 07:53 AM

More than 50 Rohingya were standing on a hull near the cityof Meulaboh in West Aceh after the boat capsized in high tides, said MiftachTjut Adek, chief of the fishing community in the province

Indonesian fishermen were scrambling on Wednesday to rescuedozens of Rohingya after high tides capsized their boat in waters off theprovince of Aceh, a regional fishing chief said.

The United Nations' refugee agency (UNHCR) estimates about2,000 Rohingya have reached Indonesia since last October, among droves of thepersecuted religious minority in Myanmar who fled to the Southeast Asia nationover the past year, mostly to Aceh.

More than 50 Rohingya were standing on a hull near the cityof Meulaboh in West Aceh after the boat capsized in high tides, said MiftachTjut Adek, chief of the fishing community in the province.

"We, as fishermen, are obligated to help them," hetold Reuters, adding that the rescuers had braved inclement weather to takethem off the sinking structure.

Reuters could not immediately determine how many Rohingyawere in the waters or where they were headed.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner forRefugees (UNHCR) said in a statement it was "deeply concerned about thesituation in Meulaboh".

"This is an emergency, our priority should be to joinhands with the authorities and the local community to save lives," itsaid, adding that it could not immediately confirm the total number of Rohingyaor whether there were deaths among the group.

The regional government of West Aceh did not immediatelyrespond to a request for comment.

For years, Rohingya have left Buddhist-majority Myanmarwhere they are generally regarded as foreign interlopers from South Asia,denied citizenship and subjected to abuse.

The Rohingya take to wooden boats each year, when the seasare calmer between November and April, destined for neighbouring Thailand andMuslim-majority Bangladesh, Indonesia and Malaysia.