Over 500 feared dead as Rohingya boats capsize off Myanmar coast

More than 500 people, most of them Rohingya, are feared dead after two boats that left Myanmar’s Rakhine State in late June capsized in the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said 16 July. If confirmed, the toll would nearly triple this year’s known death count on what the agencies called one of the world’s deadliest maritime routes. One boat, carrying an estimated 250 people, lost contact with authorities shortly after departure, according to preliminary information cited by the two agencies. A second, carrying about 280 people, is believed to have sunk off Myanmar’s Ayeyarwady coast on 8 July. Passengers on both boats reportedly included Rohingya who had traveled from refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. Neither the incidents nor the casualty figures have been officially confirmed. IOM and UNHCR noted the boats sailed outside the region’s regular sailing season, when maritime conditions are typically more hazardous, and that recent torrential rain and flooding had further raised the risks. If verified, the deaths would add to nearly 300 people already reported missing or dead this year in the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal, a toll that includes both Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi nationals. The agencies linked the reported sinkings to worsening conditions inside Myanmar, where fighting has recently intensified in Rakhine State townships including Kyaukpyu, Ponnagyun and Sittwe, driving further displacement, according to a separate UN humanitarian report released 13 July. IOM and UNHCR said protracted conflict and displacement, combined with limited assistance and opportunities in Bangladesh’s refugee camps, continue to push growing numbers of Rohingya to attempt the dangerous sea journey in search of safety. The agencies also pointed to smuggling and trafficking networks that they said continue to exploit the desperation of people seeking safety, and called for stronger search-and-rescue efforts, greater access to asylum and protection, and action against those networks. While acknowledging Bangladesh’s role hosting Rohingya refugees for years, IOM and UNHCR called for sustained international support for both refugees and the communities hosting them.