90 Rohingya refugees stranded on beach in Aceh

Human traffickers left dozens of Rohingya refugees, including children, stranded on a shoreline in western Indonesia on Oct 31, while six dead bodies were found nearby, local officials said.

Members of the persecuted minority risk their lives each year on long and dangerous sea journeys, often crowding into rickety boats in the hope that they will reach Malaysia or Indonesia.

The refugees were abandoned before dawn on Oct 31, around 100m off a beach in Aceh province, Mr Saiful Anwar, a village official in East Aceh, told AFP.

The group included 46 women, 37 men and seven children, he said, while locals found two bodies on the shore and four floating in the sea. "According to information from residents, these people were stranded at around 4am local time. It seems like there was a boat that brought them," Mr Saiful said.