More than 500 feared dead after boats carrying refugees sink off Myanmar, UN says

Two boats carrying more than 500 Rohingya refugees may have capsized off Myanmar's coast in recent days, the UN's refugee and migration agencies said on Thursday.

The vessels left Rakhine State in late June, carrying people fleeing violence at home and dire conditions in Bangladesh's refugee camps toward Southeast Asia.

What happened to the Rohingya refugee boats off Myanmar?

UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration said two boats carrying mostly Rohingya passengers left Rakhine State in late June. One vessel with about 250 people on board lost contact shortly after departure. A second boat carrying roughly 280 people is believed to have sunk off Myanmar's Irrawaddy coast on July 8.

The agencies said the passengers reportedly included people from refugee camps in Bangladesh. "While the incidents and casualty figures have yet to be officially confirmed, UNHCR and IOM are gravely concerned by the potentially devastating loss of life," they said in a joint statement.

Why are Rohingya refugees fleeing Myanmar by boat?

Myanmar's long-persecuted Rohingya Muslim minority have for years risked their lives on flimsy wooden vessels to escape violence and reach countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. Many are driven by desperate conditions in crowded refugee camps in Bangladesh, where hundreds of thousands have lived since fleeing a military crackdown.

Myanmar denies committing abuses against the Rohingya but refuses to recognize them as citizens, calling the minority group illegal immigrants. A 2021 military coup deepened the crisis, triggering a civil war that has drawn Rakhine's Rohingya population into the crossfire between government troops and the rebel Arakan Army.

How dangerous is the sea route from Myanmar?

The UN agencies said the latest journeys took place outside the normal sailing season, when conditions at sea are typically more hazardous. "These journeys took place outside the regular sailing season, when maritime conditions are typically more hazardous," the statement said.

Nearly 900 Rohingya refugees died or went missing in the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal last year. That toll made the route the world's deadliest maritime crossing for refugees and migrants, according to the UN.

How many Rohingya refugees have died at sea in 2026?

UNHCR and IOM said nearly 300 people have been reported missing or dead in the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal so far this year. The figure includes both Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi nationals.

The Rohingya exodus from Rakhine began in 2017, after Myanmar's military launched an offensive in the border province. At least 730,000 people fled to neighboring Bangladesh as a result. In November, a boat carrying Rohingya refugees sank off Langkawi near the Thailand-Malaysia border, leaving about a dozen survivors.