427 Rohingyas feared dead

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is gravely concerned about reports of two boat tragedies off the coast of Myanmar earlier this month, with estimates that 427 Rohingya perished at sea.

This would be the deadliest tragedy at sea involving Rohingya refugees attempting to find safety this year. Nearly 1 out of 5 people attempting perilous sea movements in this region have been reported as dead or missing so far in 2025, making the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal waters amongst the deadliest in the world.

Details are still being confirmed, but reports suggest that some 514 Rohingya were travelling on two separate boats. The first boat carried 267 people. Among them, over half reportedly left from refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh while the remainder departed from Rakhine State in Myanmar. The boat sank on 9 May, with only 66 survivors. The second boat carried 247 Rohingya – also refugees from Cox’s Bazar camps and those fleeing Rakhine State – and capsized on 10 May, with just 21 survivors. UNHCR is working to verify details concerning the survivors. There are reports of a third boat, carrying some 188 Rohingya, which was intercepted leaving Myanmar on 14 May.

“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,” said Hai Kyung Jun, Director of UNHCR’s Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific. “The latest tragedy is a chilling reminder that access to meaningful protection, especially in countries of first asylum, as well as responsibility sharing and collective efforts along sea routes, are essential to saving lives.”

With the annual monsoon season having already arrived in the region, bringing strong winds, rainfall and rough seas, these boats were travelling at a particularly dangerous time, reflecting the desperation of those making such journeys.

Saving lives and rescuing those in distress at sea is a humanitarian imperative and a longstanding duty under international maritime law. UNHCR calls on authorities in the region to take urgent action to prevent future tragedies.

UNHCR also calls on the international community to stand in solidarity with the countries in the region that have been hosting Rohingya refugees. Until the situation in Myanmar’s Rakhine State is peaceful and conducive to safe and voluntary return, the international community must continue to support efforts to provide life-saving assistance to Rohingya refugees.

UNHCR requires $383.1 million in 2025 to stabilize the lives of refugees and their host communities across Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and those displaced inside Myanmar. So far, only 30 per cent of this amount has been received.
UNCR press release
Geneva
May 23,2025.