Over 400 Rohingya feared drowned in two shipwrecks off Myanmar coast: UN

According to the United Nations, at least 427 Rohingya, the country’s Muslim minority, may have perished at sea in two shipwrecks on May 9 and 10 in what would have been yet another fatal incident for the persecuted group.

The two incidents would be the “deadliest tragedy at sea” involving Rohingya refugees so far this year, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in a statement released on Friday.

The UNHCR stated in a statement that it was “deeply concerned” about reports of two boat tragedies occurring off the coast of Myanmar earlier this month. The organization added that it was still working to establish the precise circumstances surrounding the shipwrecks.

A vessel carrying 267 people sank on May 9, with only 66 of the survivors, and a second ship carrying 247 Rohingya on board capsized on May 10 with just 21 survivors, according to the agency’s preliminary information.

According to the statement, the Rohingya on board were either fleeing Myanmar’s western state of Rakhine or leaving Bangladesh’s massive Cox’s Bazar refugee camps.

Every year, thousands of Rohingya who have been imprisoned in Myanmar and have been fighting the civil war in their country, often on makeshift boats, risk their lives.

UNHCR High Commissioner Filippo Grandi wrote in a post on X that the double tragedy “a reminder of the desperate situation” of the Rohingya and the hardship facing refugees in Bangladesh as humanitarian aid dwindles.”

Following a brutal crackdown by Myanmar’s military, more than a million Rohingya emigrated to Bangladesh’s neighbor in 2017.

At least 180, 000 people who fled have now been deported to Myanmar, while those who stayed behind in Rakhine have endured bleak conditions in refugee camps.

The military resurrected Myanmar’s elected government under Aung San Suu Kyi in a coup in 2021. In the midst of a growing civil war in the state, fierce fighting has raged between the military and the Arakan Army, an ethnic minority rebel group, in Rakhine.

As more and more people travel dangerously to seek safety, protection, and a dignified life for themselves and their families, according to Hai Kyung Jun, the head of UNHCR’s regional bureau for Asia and the Pacific. “The dire humanitarian situation, exacerbated by funding cuts, is having a devastating impact on the lives of Rohingya,” said Hai Kyung Jun.

According to UNHCR, about 657 Rohingya died in the area’s waters in 2024.

As a result of the administration of President Donald Trump’s administration’s and other Western nations’ sharp budget cuts, humanitarian organizations have been particularly hit by increased defense spending as a result of growing concerns about Russia and China.

UNHCR is looking for funding to stabilize the lives of Rohingya refugees in host nations, including those who have fled to Myanmar.