More than 500 Rohingya feared dead after two boats sink off Myanmar coast
Two vessels carrying mostly Rohingya refugees departed Myanmar's Rakhine State in late June; one lost contact, the other sank on 8 July. UN agencies warn of a potentially devastating loss of life.
The sinkings
Two overcrowded boats carrying mostly Rohingya passengers left Myanmar's Rakhine State in late June, bound for Southeast Asia. The first vessel, with around 250 people on board, lost contact shortly after departure. A second boat, carrying roughly 280 people, is believed to have sunk off the Ayeyarwady coast on 8 July. The UN's International Organization for Migration (IOM) and refugee agency UNHCR issued a joint statement on 16 July saying more than 500 were feared dead, though the incidents and casualty figures have not been officially confirmed.
While the incidents and casualty figures have yet to be officially confirmed, UNHCR and IOM are gravely concerned by the potentially devastating loss of life.
An IOM spokesperson told German broadcaster N-tv that there were no reports of survivors so far. The information about the boats came from affected families, news portals and aid groups that the UN agencies consider credible, but independent verification inside military-ruled Myanmar is extremely difficult.
- Two boats depart Rakhine State carrying mostly Rohingya passengers, including some from Cox's Bazar camps
- First boat with around 250 people loses contact
- Second boat with around 280 people believed to have sunk off Ayeyarwady coast
- IOM and UNHCR issue joint statement saying more than 500 feared dead
A persecuted minority
The Rohingya are a Muslim minority in predominantly Buddhist Myanmar, concentrated in Rakhine State. They have faced decades of systematic discrimination, forced labour, sexual violence and religious persecution. UN experts have concluded that Myanmar's authorities committed war crimes and genocide. Since a military crackdown in 2017 drove over 700,000 across the border, roughly 1.2 million Rohingya have been living in the world's largest refugee camp complex in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh.
Conditions in the camps have worsened after drastic cuts to foreign aid from the United States and other countries. Rations have been reduced, crime is high and frustration is mounting. One camp resident, 50-year-old Mohammed Ahmed, described the daily reality to Dutch newspaper de Volkskrant.
It is a hopeless empty existence.
Myanmar does not recognise the Rohingya as citizens, and the prospect of safe return remains remote. The military junta led by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, which seized power in 2021, faces an International Criminal Court warrant for crimes against humanity. While Western nations maintain sanctions, neighbours including China, India and several ASEAN members have recently eased their diplomatic isolation of the regime.
Deadly sea route
The Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal route is one of the deadliest migration corridors in the world. De Volkskrant reports that one in seven refugees does not survive the crossing. In 2025, nearly 900 Rohingya died or went missing at sea, making it the deadliest year on record. Already in 2026, before the main sailing season begins in November, 540 deaths and disappearances have been counted.
- 2025
- 900 people
- 2026 (to date)
- 540 people
The boats that sank in late June and early July were travelling outside the regular sailing season, when maritime conditions are typically more hazardous. The Rohingya rights group Rohingya Rights Watch put the death toll at 530, including women and children, and blamed an organised international human trafficking network that repeatedly endangers refugees. Local news portal Rohingya Khobor reported that residents had seen bodies washed ashore, while the outlet Action Against Rohingya Atrocities said fishermen had spotted numerous corpses in the water. Neither account could be independently confirmed.
Calls for action
The UN agencies called for stronger regional and international efforts to prevent further loss of life on the route, including more intensive search and rescue operations. Myanmar's authorities have not commented; a police spokesperson and government representatives did not respond to requests from the Associated Press. Local authorities in the region have in the past left Rohingya boats adrift or ignored distress calls.
With the camps in Bangladesh overflowing and aid shrinking, thousands of Rohingya continue to attempt the perilous journey to Malaysia, Indonesia or Thailand. The two latest sinkings, if confirmed, would push 2026 towards becoming the deadliest year ever recorded on this route.
