Geneva, June 16 (ANI): The United Nations has reportedly called on Bangladesh to accept refugees fleeing Myanmar due to escalating violence between Buddhists and Muslims in the country.

Tens of thousands of refugees have fled Burma's province of Rakhine by boat.

The majority of the mainly-Muslim Rohingya refugees already in Bangladesh are staying in two camps in the Cox's Bazar district.

The UN's refugee agency in Geneva, the UNHCR, said women and children have been left adrift on boats in the river Naf without food or care, the BBC reports.

There are now a number of boats drifting in the mouth of the Naf River with desperate people onboard in need of water, food and medical care, the UNHCR said in a statement.

It is vital that these people are allowed access to a safe haven and shelter, it added.

The violence in Rakhine flared after the murder of a Buddhist woman last month, followed by an attack on a bus carrying Muslims, which killed 10 people.

Burmese officials have said the fighting has killed 29 people and thousands of homes have been burnt down. (ANI)