Over 500 feared dead after two boats with refugees sink off Myanmar

Over 500 feared dead after two boats with refugees sink off Myanmar underscores the continuing danger faced by Rohingya and other displaced people trying to reach safety by sea. UN agencies said on July 16 that nearly 300 people have been reported missing or dead in the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal this year, including Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi nationals. Two boats left Myanmar’s Rakhine State in late June with more than 500 people, and both incidents were only based on early information. The first boat carried about 250 people and lost contact shortly after departure. A second boat with around 280 people was believed to have sunk off Myanmar’s Irrawaddy coast on July 8. UNHCR and IOM warned the journeys occurred outside the usual sailing season, amid potentially more dangerous sea conditions. The Rohingya crisis began in 2017 and worsened after Myanmar’s 2021 coup and ensuing civil war.