Dhaka: At least two dozen ethnic Rohingya died on a ship that was drifting for weeks after failing to reach Malaysia, Bangladesh coastguard officials said on Thursday, after 382 starving survivors were rescued.

A human rights group said it believed more boats carrying Rohingya, a Muslim minority group from Myanmar, were adrift at sea, with coronavirus lockdowns in Malaysia and Thailand making it harder for them to find refuge.

At least two dozen Rohingyan migrants died on the boat and many more boats are believed to remain adrift. Earlier this month Malaysian authorities released this picture of a boat carrying more than 200 Rohinyan asylum seekers that they intercepted. Credit:AP

The Bangladesh coastguard said the ship was brought to shore late on Wednesday.

"They were at sea for about two months and were starving," one of the coastguard officials told Reuters in a message.