More than 500 people fleeing violence in Myanmar are feared dead after two boats went missing in rough weather off the coast of Myanmar, two United Nations migration agencies said.
The ships left Myanmar’s western Rakhine state in late June and were carrying mainly Rohingya passengers, according to a joint statement released Thursday by the International Organization for Migration and the United Nations Refugee Agency.
One boat carrying 250 people lost contact shortly after departure, and another boat carrying about 280 passengers is believed to have sunk off Myanmar’s Ayeyarwaddy coast on July 8, the statement said.
The Rohingya are a stateless Muslim minority from Myanmar’s Rakhine state that have faced decades of state-sponsored persecution, violence and what the United States has labeled genocide.
More than 1 million Rohingya have fled across the border to Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar and are largely confined to overcrowded and squalid camps, while around 630,000 still live in Rakhine state, according to Human Rights Watch.
Myanmar has been mired in a bloody civil war for more than five years, since the military overthrew the elected government in 2021. At least 100,000 people have been killed in the fighting, according to conflict monitoring group ACLED.
A major humanitarian crisis is unfolding in Rakhine State, exacerbated by the escalating conflict between the military junta and the Arakan Army rebels who control large parts of the state.
Many refugees are making perilous voyages in rickety boats to escape violence.
The UN agency said some of the passengers feared to have died had traveled to Rakhine state from a refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.
Their statement said the voyages took place outside of the “normal sailing season” when sea conditions are more hazardous. Recent heavy rains and flooding across the region have made travel even more dangerous.
Last week, torrential rains caused deadly landslides and flooding in Cox’s Bazar, collapsing a shelter and killing more than a dozen people, including children.
Although reports of capsized boats have not yet been officially confirmed, IOM and UNHCR said they were “gravely concerned about the potential for catastrophic loss of life.”
Nearly 300 people have been reported dead or missing in the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal so far this year.
“These reports highlight the devastating impact of protracted conflict and displacement, and the continued lack of sustainable solutions for the Rohingya community,” it said in a statement.
“The escalating conflict and deteriorating humanitarian situation in Myanmar, coupled with limited support and opportunities in refugee camps in Bangladesh, are leading to an increase in people attempting dangerous sea journeys in search of safety and protection.”
The agency called for increased regional and international efforts to prevent further deaths “along one of the world’s most dangerous maritime routes,” including through “intensified search and rescue operations, access to asylum and protection, and action against smuggling and trafficking networks.”
