KABUL (Pajhwok): More than 500 people are feared dead after two boats carrying Rohingya refugees and other migrants may have capsized off Myanmar’s coast in recent days, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said on Thursday.
According to Reuters, the two vessels departed Myanmar’s Rakhine State in late June, carrying mostly ethnic Rohingya passengers, including some refugees from camps in Bangladesh.
In a joint statement, the UN agencies said preliminary information suggested that more than 500 people were feared dead. However, the incidents and the number of casualties have yet to be officially confirmed.
The first boat, carrying about 250 people, reportedly lost contact shortly after departure, while a second vessel with around 280 people on board is believed to have capsized off Myanmar’s Ayeyarwady (Irrawaddy) coast on July 8.
The UN agencies warned that the journeys took place outside the regular sailing season, when rough weather and dangerous sea conditions significantly increase the risks of maritime travel.
Driven by years of persecution, violence and statelessness in Myanmar, many Rohingya Muslims continue to undertake dangerous sea journeys across the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal in overcrowded and unseaworthy boats, hoping to reach Malaysia, Indonesia or Thailand.
According to the United Nations, nearly 900 Rohingya refugees died or went missing in the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal last year, making the route the world’s deadliest maritime migration corridor for refugees and migrants.
The Rohingya exodus from Myanmar’s Rakhine State began in 2017 after a military crackdown forced at least 730,000 people to flee to neighbouring Bangladesh. Although Myanmar denies committing abuses against the Rohingya, it does not recognize them as citizens, instead describing them as illegal immigrants.
Their situation has further deteriorated since Myanmar’s 2021 military coup, which triggered a nationwide civil war that has spread to Rakhine State, where Rohingya civilians remain caught between government forces and the rebel Arakan Army.
UNHCR and IOM said that nearly 300 people, including Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi nationals, have been reported missing or dead in the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal since the beginning of this year.
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