BANGKOK — More than 500 people are feared missing or dead after two boats carrying mostly Rohingya refugees vanished or are believed to have sunk off Myanmar's coast, the United Nations said on Thursday, underscoring the risks faced by people fleeing conflict and hardship by sea.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) said in a joint statement that the incidents remained under investigation and that casualty figures had not been officially confirmed.
According to the agencies' preliminary information, the two vessels departed Myanmar's western Rakhine State in late June carrying more than 500 passengers, most of them Rohingya. Some of those on board had reportedly travelled from refugee camps in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh.
One boat, carrying about 250 people, lost contact shortly after departure, while a second vessel, with around 280 people aboard, is believed to have sunk off Myanmar's Ayeyarwady coast on July 8, the agencies said.
"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," the agencies said, calling for urgent efforts to verify the fate of those on board and strengthen search-and-rescue operations.
The agencies said the crossings occurred outside the usual sailing season, when monsoon conditions make journeys across the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea especially hazardous.
For years, members of Myanmar's persecuted Rohingya Muslim minority have attempted dangerous sea voyages in overcrowded wooden boats, seeking safety or better economic opportunities in countries including Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. Many cite ongoing violence in Myanmar's Rakhine State and deteriorating conditions in refugee camps in Bangladesh as reasons for leaving.
UNHCR and IOM said nearly 300 people have already been reported dead or missing in maritime incidents involving Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi nationals in the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal this year. They warned that shrinking humanitarian assistance and continued instability in Myanmar were increasing pressure on vulnerable communities to undertake increasingly perilous journeys.
The agencies urged governments in the region to uphold humanitarian obligations at sea, improve coordinated rescue efforts and expand access to protection for refugees and asylum seekers.
As of Thursday, no official confirmation had been released on the whereabouts of the missing passengers or the final toll from the two reported maritime incidents.
