According to reports published by VTCNews, a Vietnamese oil service vessel rescued 154 people, who were later confirmed as minority Rohingya Muslims, from a sinking boat in the Andaman Sea and transferred them to Myanmar's navy.

The vessel, Hai Duong 29, was en route from Singapore to Myanmar when it spotted the boat in distress 285 miles (458.7 km) south of the Myanmar coast on Wednesday, VTCNews said in a report aired late on Thursday.

The boat's engine was not working and water was leaking into its hull, the VTCNews report said, adding it sank one hour after those aboard had been saved. Of the 154 people rescued, 40 were women and 31 were children. They were handed over to Myanmar's navy on Thursday, the report said.

The Rohingya are a minority that has for years been persecuted in Myanmar and many risk their lives attempting to reach predominantly Muslim Malaysia and Indonesia on rickety boats.

Their exodus from Myanmar and from the squalor of refugee camps in neighbouring Bangladesh has increased after a deadly 2017 crackdown by the military, which is now in charge in Myanmar after a 2021 coup.

It was not immediately clear what would happen to them and a spokesperson for Myanmar's junta could not immediately be reached by Reuters.

Vietnam's foreign ministry and the owner of the Vietnamese vessel, Hai Duong Petroleum and Marine Corp (Haduco), did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Last week, the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) said there had been a "dramatic increase" in the number of people attempting to cross the Andaman Sea between Myanmar and Bangladesh this year.

According to the reports, at least 1,900 people have made the crossing so far in 2022, six times more than in 2020, with at least 119 deaths this year among those trying to flee.

Image source: AP