The Latest: Photos show Rohingya stranded on Myanmar beach
By Associated Press
Sep 5, 2017 7:51 AM CDT
Hundreds of Rohingya people whose villages were allegedly burned down by Myanmar soldiers, wait on the water's edge to cross into Bangladesh over the border at Maungdaw, Rakhine state, Myanmar, Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2017. The U.N. refugee agency says some 123,000 Rohingya refugees have fled to Bangladesh...   (Associated Press)

BANGKOK (AP) — The Latest on violence in Myanmar's Rakhine state and the resulting flood of ethnic Rohingya refugees into neighboring Bangladesh (all times local):

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7:20 p.m.

A Rohingya Muslim says she and thousands of fellow villagers driven from their homes by ethnic violence in Myanmar are now stranded along the coast, hoping to flee to nearby Bangladesh by boat.

The 18-year-old provided The Associated Press with cellphone photographs she took Tuesday along the beach in southern Maungdaw township in Rakhine state. Several of the photos show hundreds of people sitting on the ground, with meager belongings. Only some had tarps or umbrellas to protect themselves from the sun.

The teenager said her family's house was burned Aug. 25, right after Rohingya insurgents attacked Myanmar border guard police outposts. She spoke on condition of anonymity out of concern for her safety.

The military has said nearly 400 people, most of them insurgents, have died in clashes. The U.N. refugee agency says 123,000 refugees have fled western Myanmar since the violence began.

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3:45 p.m.

The European Union is demanding full humanitarian access to reach Rohingya Muslims suffering from violence in Myanmar, and called on the nation to end abuses against the minority.

EU Commissioner Christos Stylianides said Tuesday that many Rohingya are "suffering greatly" and as a result are fleeing the country.

A massive influx of Rohingya refugees has pushed aid services in neighboring Bangladesh to the brink, with established camps already beyond capacity.

Stylianides said the EU supports efforts by Bangladesh authorities to provide safety for the refugees, and said caring for them is "crucial" until they can return to their homes. The EU will be providing aid, he said.

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2:30 p.m.

Turkish officials say President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has discussed the violence affecting the Rohingya Muslim minority with Myanmar's leader Aung San Suu Kyi, and said the issue was causing deep concern globally and especially in the Muslim world.

Officials at Erdogan's office in Ankara said Tuesday that the Turkish leader told Suu Kyi in a telephone call that disproportionate use of force against the minority group should be avoided, and maximum care should be taken to avoid harming civilians.

The officials also said Erdogan condemned terrorist attacks targeting civilians.

Meanwhile, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu will travel to Bangladesh on Wednesday to discuss the situation of Rohingya refugees there, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported. Cavusoglu would also visit a refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, it said.

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2 p.m.

The U.N. refugee agency says some 123,000 Rohingya refugees have fled to Bangladesh since violence erupted in Myanmar on Aug. 25.

UNHCR spokeswoman Vivian Tan said Tuesday that the latest number is a result of aid workers conducting new, more accurate counts in both established and makeshift refugee camps.

On Monday, the agency had estimated 87,000 refugees had crossed the swampy border in the days since Rohingya insurgents attacked Myanmar police posts, prompting security forces to launch "clearance operations" in response.

Tan said "the numbers are very worrying. They are going up very quickly." The older, established refugee camps for Rohingya have already reached capacity, and thousands were struggling to find shelter.

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