ANDAMAN SEA — A boat carrying Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi nationals capsized in the Andaman Sea on April 9, leaving approximately 250 people missing. The boat sank due to heavy winds, rough seas and overcrowding, according to a statement from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

A Bangladesh Coast Guard ship that was en route to Indonesia spotted several people floating in the sea using drums and logs on April 9 and rescued them from deep waters. Nine people were pulled from the sea, including one woman. Six of the nine people rescued are alleged traffickers, and they have been detained by police.

Rafiqul Islam, one of the survivors, said traffickers had lured him onto the boat by promising him a job in Malaysia. "A number of us were kept in the holding area of the trawler, some died there," Islam said. He said approximately 25 to 30 people died from suffocation and overcrowding during the voyage before the vessel went down.

The vessel had traveled for four days before it capsized, according to Islam. He said he was burned by oil that spilled from the trawler during the incident. The survivors floated in the open sea for nearly 36 hours before the Coast Guard ship reached them.

UNHCR said the incident reflected prolonged displacement and the absence of lasting solutions for the Rohingya. Malaysia is a destination for Rohingya refugees because it is a Muslim-majority nation with a sizeable Rohingya diaspora. The Andaman Sea stretches along the western shores of Myanmar, Thailand and the Malay Peninsula.

In 2017, Myanmar's armed forces launched an offensive that forced at least 730,000 Rohingya from their homes into neighboring Bangladesh. Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh recounted killings, mass rape and arson during the military operation.