Rohingya: About 60 Die As Migrant Boat Capsizes

At least 60 Rohingya people, including several children, fleeing the Myanmar violence have drowned after their boat capsized off the coast of Bangladesh.

According to a UN spokesman 23 people were now confirmed dead and 40 more were "missing and presumed drowned".

"They drowned before our eyes," Mohammad Sohel, a shopkeeper, was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency.

"Minutes later, the waves washed the bodies to the beach," he said.

More than 500,000 Rohingya - mostly Muslims - have fled Myanmar's Rakhine state and reached Bangladesh to escape the military crackdown on them.

Myanmar government say they are targeting the militants but forced the UN aid personal out of the state before launching the attacks.

The UN has now planned a visit to Rakhine which has been postponed by the government citing bad weather.