8 dead, several missing after boat fleeing Myanmar capsizes [Video]

Bangkok, Thailand –

Eight people were confirmed dead and almost 20 missing after a boat whose passengers included villagers fleeing from fighting in Myanmar capsized in the Andaman Sea, a rescue worker and local media said Monday.

Myanmar has been wracked by violence that began after the army ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021. Opponents of military rule launched an armed resistance movement, and large parts of the country are now embroiled in conflict.

Out of the estimated 100 people the boat was carrying Sunday, about 79 have been rescued, according to a villager helping with rescue operations, adding that they were headed to the nearby coastal town of Myeik in Myanmar’s southern region of Tanintharyi from the island of Kyauk Kar, which is in an estuary leading to the sea, according to a villager helping with rescue operations.

The eight bodies recovered by Monday night include …