A Bangladesh official says a boat carrying up to 45 Rohingya Muslims fleeing Myanmar has capsized in the Bay of Bengal and four bodies have been recovered from the water. It is not clear how many are missing.

Local government administrator Mohammed Mikaruzzaman said some 23 people have been rescued and a dozen of them are being treated.

The boat capsized Tuesday morning near Inani beach in Cox's Bazar district.

More than 600,000 Rohingya Muslims have reached refugee camps in Bangladesh since Myanmar's security forces launched operations Aug. 25 that the United Nations and others have described as "ethnic cleansing." About 190 people trying to flee have died in boat accidents in the Bay of Bengal or nearby waterways.