MYANMAR: About 400 Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar are believed to be aboard two boats adrift in the Andaman Sea without adequate supplies could die if more is not done to rescue them, the United Nations refugee agency said today.

Babar Baloch, the UN refugee agency’s Bangkok-based regional spokesperson, said: “There are about 400 children, women and men looking death in the eye if there are no moves to save these desperate souls.”

The whereabouts of the other boat is unclear.

INDONESIA: Rescuers searching the hazardous slopes of Indonesia’s Mount Marapi volcano found more bodies among the climbers caught by a surprise eruption two days ago, raising the number of confirmed and presumed dead to 23.

More than 50 climbers were rescued after the initial eruption Sunday, and 11 others were initially confirmed dead. 

PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Prime Minister James Marape said today that he will sign a bilateral security pact with Australia during a visit this week.

Mr Marape said that the agreement to be signed with his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese on Thursday will involve Australian police officers working under the command of Papua New Guinea Police Commissioner David Manning.

ZAMBIA: A member of a rescue team raised hopes on Monday that there may be survivors at a Zambian mine where more than 30 informal miners have been trapped under debris for days and presumed dead after heavy rain caused landslides.

Rescuers have been searching for the miners since early on Friday after they were buried on Thursday night while digging tunnels at an open-pit mine near the city of Chingola on the country’s copper belt.