Over 500 Rohingya Feared Dead After Two Boats Capsize
UN agencies said the boats carried mostly Rohingya passengers and warned that smuggling networks and monsoon conditions are driving deadly sea crossings.
- On Thursday, the United Nations warned that more than 500 people were feared dead following reports of two large shipwrecks off Myanmar since late June. The International Organization for Migration and UNHCR voiced alarm at the incidents.
- Escalating conflict in Myanmar and limited opportunities in Bangladesh refugee camps drive people to attempt perilous sea journeys, while trafficking networks exploit their desperation for safety and protection.
- One vessel carrying around 250 people lost contact shortly after departure in late June, while a second boat carrying some 280 people reportedly sank off the Ayeyarwady coast on July 8.
- The IOM and UNHCR called for "enhanced search and rescue efforts, access to asylum and protection, and actions against smuggling and trafficking networks," while stressing the need for sustained international support.
- If verified, this tragedy adds to the nearly 300 people reported missing or dead in the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal so far this year, underscoring the devastating impact of protracted displacement on Rohingya communities.
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More than 10,000 Rohingya have attempted to flee by sea since last September.
Hundreds of Rohingya are missing after two boat trips off Myanmar. Several bodies have already been washed up on the coasts of the region.
Two boats with more than 500 Rohingya refugees have been missing for weeks.
Two boats carrying around 530 Rohingya asylum seekers left Myanmar's Rakhine state on June 29 and have not been heard from since.
More than 500 people, mostly from the Rohingya Muslim minority, are believed to have died after two boats sank in the Bay of Bengal, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said on Friday, adding that the boats carrying the refugees set sail from Myanmar in late June and have not been heard from since.
Two boats carrying about 530 Rohingya set sail from Burma in late June. Due to rough seas and dilapidated vessels, it is feared that there are few survivors.
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