Indonesian fishermen have rescued 116 Rohingya refugees, predominantly women and children, after their boat sank off the coast of Aceh province. The refugees, originating from Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar camp,

Indonesian fishermen rescued 116 Rohingya refugees, mostly women and children, on Saturday after their boat sank off the coast of Aceh province, according to a local daily. Jakarta Globe reported that the group had fled Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar refugee camp, hoping to reach Indonesia or Malaysia.

More than 110 Rohingya refugees came ashore in Indonesia's Aceh province on Saturday after their boat nearly sank, officials from the U.N. refugee agency and local government said, as growing numbers arrive by sea in the Southeast Asian country.

More than 100 Rohingya refugees, including women and children, have been rescued after their boat sank off the coast of Indonesia, the United Nations refugee agency said Saturday. The mostly Muslim ethnic Rohingya are heavily persecuted in Myanmar and thousands risk their lives each year on long and dangerous sea journeys to reach Malaysia or Indonesia.

More than 100 of the Rohingya refugees were rescued after their boat sunk of the northeastern coast of Sumatra island.