The bodies were recovered from the river at Jhimongkhali in Howaikong Union and Sah Parir Dwip at Sabrang Union, local bdnews24.com reported.

Among the deceased were 11 men, three women and two children.

Teknaf Police Station OC Md Mainuddin Khan was quoted by the website as saying, "Some of the bodies have started to smell. It's possible they were killed two to three days ago."

Police also added that at least 23 bodies of Rohingyas have been recovered from Naf river in the past two days.

Mainuddin added that an investigaion has been initiated to find out the cause of the deaths.

Rohingyas are Muslim minorities in Buddhist-majority Myanmar.

The tens of thousands of members of Myanmar’s Rohingya community who fled inter-communal violence in north of the country and sought refuge in Bangladesh remain highly vulnerable and risk being “re-victimized even in exile” unless urgent action is taken, a senior United Nations refugee protection official has warned.

The recent findings released by UNHCR in its new report on mixed movements in south-east Asia indicate that more than 168,000 Rohingya members could have fled Myanmar in the last five years. The total number of Rohingya refugees in the region and those internally displaced is estimated at 420,000 and 120,000 respectively.

Image: UNHCR/Saiful Huq Omi