The bodies of 23 Rohingyas were discovered after their boat capsized while fleeing Myanmar's Rakhine state. Thirty individuals are still missing, while eight are said to have survived the accident.
According to the survivors, they attempted to reach Malaysia when their boat carrying more than 50 passengers sank and was abandoned by its crew on Sunday.
Thousands of Rohingyas try the risky sea crossing to Malaysia or Indonesia each year.
They are fleeing persecution in Myanmar and overcrowding in Bangladeshi refugee camps. A rescue crew told BBC Burmese that 13 women and ten men died last week, all Rohingya Muslims.
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The Muslim Rohingyas are an ethnic minority in Myanmar, which is primarily Buddhist. Many escaped to Bangladesh in 2017 to escape the Burmese military's genocidal program. Those who remain in Myanmar have also attempted to flee since the military revolution in 2021.
Survivors of this week's boat tragedy describe being hit by a strong wave near Rakhine's capital, Sittwe.
The smugglers paid roughly $4,000 (£3,153) to each person for the passage to Malaysia and are said to have abandoned the boat. The victims' bodies were picked up by other ships or washed ashore on the beach.
The long journey across the Andaman Sea on packed fishing boats is always risky, especially at this time of year when monsoon storms are at their peak.
The majority of Rohingyas seek to cross between October and May.
