Kualalumpur: Six Rohingya refugees from Myanmar, including two children, have been killed after vehicles collided on a Malaysian highway. The victims were people who had fled the refugee detention center where the riots erupted on Wednesday morning. Hundreds of people continue to flee from the center.
Kedah State Police Chief Wan Hassan Wan Ahmad told reporters live that two men, two women, a boy and a girl were killed when their vehicles collided while trying to cross a highway about 8 km (5 miles) from the detention camp.
582 Rohingyans escape from Sungai Bakap makeshift refugee camp in northern Penang state by smashing doors and barrier grills. Meanwhile, the Emigration Department said in a statement that 362 people had been re-arrested.
Malaysia, which does not recognize refugee status, is a favorite destination for ethnic Rohingyas fleeing persecution in Myanmar or in refugee camps in Bangladesh.
Police say they are investigating the cause of Wednesday’s riot, while authorities are still searching for escaped prisoners.
Before the riots, there were 664 Rohingya refugees in the camp, including 137 children.
