Over 400 Rohingya Feared Dead in May Boat Incidents, Says UNHCR

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) reported on Friday that 427 Rohingya fleeing Myanmar and Bangladesh refugee camps may have died in two boat disasters this month, Arab News reported. Survivor accounts indicate a vessel carrying 267 people sank off Myanmar’s coast on May 9, with only 66 surviving. A second boat capsized a day later, leaving just 21 survivors out of 247 passengers.

Rohingya, a predominantly Muslim minority, have faced persecution in Myanmar, with over 1 million now in Bangladeshi camps—including 740,000 displaced since 2017. Annual sea crossings via the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea are perilous; 657 died or went missing in 2024.

UNHCR noted monsoon conditions worsened risks this month. A third boat carrying 188 Rohingya, which departed Myanmar on May 14, remains unaccounted for. The agency called for urgent regional cooperation to prevent further tragedies.

Indonesia has reported rising Rohingya arrivals by sea in recent months.