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Indian coast guard find 81 Rohingya refugees in Andaman Sea, asks Bangladesh to take them

The boat had been drifting since February 15 after its engine failed

rohingya-boat-migrants-reuters Rohingya refugees sit on a makeshift boat as they get interrogated by the Border Guard Bangladesh after crossing the Bangladesh-Myanmar border, at Shah Porir Dwip near Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh November 9, 2017. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar/File Photo/File Photo

A day after dispatching two coast guard ships to supply a boatful of displaced Rohingya refugees, India has asked Bangladesh to take them back. 80 survivors were found and eight dead on the boat crammed with refugees, adrift in the Andaman Sea.

India is holding discussions with Bangladesh to facilitate the safe return of the vessel, which was found drifting in international waters after leaving southern Bangaldesh two weeks ago, with hopes of reaching Malaysia, Reuters reported.

The boat had sailed on February 11 from Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh carrying 56 women and eight girls as well as 21 men and five boys, officials said.

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47 of the boat’s inhabitants had id cards issued to them by the UNHCR stating that they are displaced Myanmar nations, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday,

MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said the ministry is in discussions with the Bangladeshi government to ensure the safe and secure repatriation of those on the boat.

"From the information we have, on February 11, a boat sailed from Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh carrying 64 women including eight young girls and 26 men including five young boys," he said at an online briefing.

The engine of the boat failed on February 15 and since then, it has been drifting, he added.

"Due to the severe conditions, we understand that eight occupants have died and one has been missing since February 15.

"When we learnt of the boat in distress, we immediately dispatched two coast guard ships to provide food, water and medical assistance to its occupants. Seven of them were administered IV fluids," Srivastava said.

"We understand that around 47 of the occupants of the boat are in possession of ID cards issued to them by the UNHCR office in Bangladesh, stating that they are displaced Myanmar nationals and persons of concern to the UNHCR registered by the government of Bangladesh," he said.

A coast guard official, speaking anonymously to Reuters, said this was a humanitarian crisis and that they were doing their best to save their lives.

"The foreign ministry is working towards sending them back to Bangladesh and India will repair or replace the boat's engine to ensure they can travel back safely."

The survivors were being provided with food supplies and medicine, and women and children have been given fresh clothes. It was unclear what arrangements were being made for the funeral rites of the people who died, the coast guard official added.

India is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention, nor does it have a domestic law to protect refugees.

With inputs from PTI

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