More than 500 dead as two boats carrying Rohingya refugees from Myanmar capsize

More than 500 people are feared dead after reports that two boats carrying members of Myanmar’s persecuted Rohingya minority capsized in the Bay of Bengal, officials said Thursday.

According to preliminary information, the two ships left Myanmar’s western Rakhine state in late June carrying mostly Rohingya, including some who had traveled from refugee camps across the border in Bangladesh, according to statements by the International Organization for Migration and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

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One ship, carrying about 250 people, lost contact shortly after setting sail. A second boat, reportedly carrying 280 people, is believed to have sunk off Myanmar’s Ayeyarwady coast on July 8.

“While the incidents and death tolls have yet to be officially confirmed, UNHCR and IOM are gravely concerned about the potentially devastating loss of life,” the agencies said.

The Rohingya

Rohingya, who have fled squalid refugee camps in Myanmar and Bangladesh by the thousands in recent years, usually avoid such boat trips at this time of year, when monsoons are frequent and sea conditions are particularly dangerous.

UNHCR and IOM said in a statement that recent torrential rains and flooding across the region would make such journeys particularly risky.

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About 1.2 million stateless mostly Muslim Rohingya remain trapped in overcrowded refugee camps in Bangladesh after fleeing waves of violence by Myanmar’s security forces.

The refugees have no way to safely return to Myanmar, where the army that killed thousands of Rohingya in 2017 in what the United States has called genocide remains in charge of their homeland. Rohingya still living in Myanmar face severe restrictions and many are imprisoned in internment camps.

Sharp cuts in foreign aid by the US and other countries have led to reduced rations in Bangladeshi refugee camps as the ruling army and ethnic armed groups in Rakhine battle for control of the region.

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The unrest has led to increasing numbers of Rohingya attempting to cross the dangerous ocean to Malaysia in rickety boats. Thousands of people died in the process, including infants, children and pregnant women. Local maritime authorities often abandoned the Rohingya at sea and often ignored reports of boats in distress.

The IOM and UNHCR said Thursday that the latest potential tragedy at sea underscores the continuing lack of sustainable solutions for the Rohingya, and called on the international community to support those trapped in Bangladeshi camps.

“Greater regional and international efforts are needed to prevent further loss of life along one of the world’s most dangerous sea routes, including through increased search and rescue efforts, access to asylum and protection, and action against smuggling and smuggling networks,” the agencies said.

More than 6,500 Rohingya fled and nearly 900 were reported dead or missing in 2025, the deadliest year for Rohingya who tried to abandon ship. The figure represents the highest death rate of any major sea route for refugees and migrants in the world, UNHCR said.