NEW YORK – In a joint statement, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said they were deeply concerned by reports that two vessels carrying more than 500 people had sunk after departing Myanmar’s Rakhine State in late June.
According to preliminary information, one boat carrying about 250 people lost contact shortly after setting sail, while a second vessel carrying around 280 people is believed to have sunk off Myanmar’s Ayeyarwady coast on July 8.
The agencies said some passengers had travelled from the sprawling Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, which host more than one million people who fled violence in Rakhine State.
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If confirmed, the latest tragedies would bring the number of people reported dead or missing in the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal this year to nearly 300 before these incidents, highlighting the growing dangers faced by Rohingya refugees attempting perilous sea crossings.
According to UNHCR, nearly 900 Rohingya refugees were reported dead or missing in the northern Indian Ocean in 2025, out of more than 6,500 people who attempted the journey.
The IOM and UNHCR called for stronger search and rescue operations, improved access to asylum and international protection, and intensified efforts to dismantle human smuggling and trafficking networks operating in the region.
