AP PHOTOS: U. N. says the total number of Rohingya Muslim refugees who have fled to Bangladesh from Myanmar has topped 501,000; Indians mourn for relatives killed in a pedestrian bridge stampede in Mumbai.
Five weeks after Rohingya Muslim refugees from Myanmar began spilling across the border into Bangladesh, the United Nations says the total number of arrivals has now topped 501,000. The crisis began when a Rohingya insurgent group launched attacks with rifles and machetes on a series of security posts in Myanmar on Aug. 25, prompting the military to launch a brutal round of “clearance operations” in response. Those fleeing have described indiscriminate attacks by security forces and Buddhist mobs, including monks, as well as killings and rapes.
In other images from the Asia-Pacific region last week, Indians mourned for relatives killed in a pedestrian bridge stampede in Mumbai. The stampede broke out on a crowded pedestrian bridge connecting two railway stations in Mumbai during the Friday morning rush, killing at least 22 people and injuring 32 others.
Protesters gathered in front of Japan’s parliament building after the lower house was dissolved. The move by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe paves the way for a snap election that is expected to be held on Oct. 22.
A week after authorities put Bali’s Mount Agung volcano on high alert, tremors that indicate an eruption is coming showed no sign of abating, swelling the exodus from the region to at least 140,000 people.
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