The UN refugee company, UNHCR, feared Friday that 427 Rohingya perished at sea after two boat tragedies off the coast of Myanmar earlier this month in the hunt for secure refuge.
Reports urged that 514 Rohingya had been touring on two boats. Details are nonetheless being confirmed, UNHCR stated in an announcement.
The first boat carried 267 folks. Among them, greater than half reportedly left from refugee camps in southeastern Cox’s Bazar district of Bangladesh whereas the rest departed from Rakhine State in Myanmar. The boat sank May 9, with 66 survivors.
Bangladesh is internet hosting greater than 1.3 million persecuted Rohingya Muslims since they fled a Myanmar army crackdown in August 2017.
The second boat carried 247 Rohingya, additionally refugees from Cox’s Bazar camps and people fleeing Rakhine State, and capsized May 10, with 21 survivors.
Nearly 1 of 5 folks trying perilous sea actions within the area have been reported lifeless or lacking in 2025, making the waters of the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal among the many deadliest on the planet.
UNHCR stated there have been experiences of a 3rd boat carrying 188 Rohingya, which was intercepted leaving Myanmar on May 14.
“The dire humanitarian situation, exacerbated by funding cuts, is having a devastating impact on the lives of Rohingya, with more and more resorting to dangerous journeys to seek safety, protection and a dignified life for themselves and their families,” stated Hai Kyung Jun, director of UNHCR’s regional bureau for Asia and the Pacific.
The annual monsoon season has arrived within the area, bringing robust winds, rainfall and tough seas, noticed the boats touring at a very harmful time, reflecting the desperation of these making the journeys.
UNHCR calls on authorities within the area and the worldwide group to take pressing motion to stop future tragedies as saving lives and rescuing these in misery at sea is a humanitarian crucial and a longstanding responsibility beneath worldwide maritime legislation.
It additionally sought monetary help to offer life-saving help to Rohingya refugees as UNHCR solely acquired 30% of what it requires to stabilize the lives of refugees and their host communities throughout Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and people displaced inside Myanmar.
UNHCR requires $383.1 million in 2025 to So far, it added.
Source: www.anews.com.tr