Arakan News Agency
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) expressed deep concern on Friday over reports that approximately 427 Rohingya refugees drowned in two tragic incidents off the coast of Myanmar in May, describing the events as the deadliest for Rohingya refugees in 2025.
Reports indicate that nearly one in five Rohingya attempting to flee by sea this year has either died or gone missing, making the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal among the most dangerous maritime routes in the world.
According to the UNHCR, the first boat was carrying 267 people mostly from the Cox’s Bazar refugee camps in Bangladesh, with the rest from Arakan State in western Myanmar. The boat sank on May 9, and only 66 Rohingya survived.
The second boat, carrying 247 people, sank on May 10, with only 21 survivors found. A third boat carrying 188 Rohingya was intercepted on May 14 while attempting to leave Myanmar.
Hai Kyung Jun, UNHCR’s Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, stated that the worsening humanitarian situation exacerbated by funding cuts has had a devastating impact on the lives of the Rohingya, driving more of them to embark on perilous journeys in search of safety, protection, and dignity for themselves and their families.
She added that this latest tragedy serves as a painful reminder of the urgent need to provide protection, particularly in first countries of asylum, and to engage in responsibility-sharing and collective action along maritime routes to save lives.
The UNHCR emphasized that saving lives at sea is a humanitarian duty and a clear legal obligation under international maritime law. The agency called on regional authorities to act urgently to prevent future tragedies.
It also urged the international community to support countries hosting Rohingya refugees, especially as the situation in Arakan State continues to deteriorate, making safe and voluntary return impossible at this time.
This incident reflects the dire situation faced by the Rohingya, who risk death at sea in pursuit of safety. Similar tragedies include the sinking of a boat off the coast of Teknaf in March, which carried 50 people 25 of whom were rescued by the Bangladeshi Border Guard with the help of local fishermen.
Prior to that, 73 Rohingya refugees died in the Bay of Bengal while route to Thailand, and dozens more drowned when their boat capsized off western Myanmar in November.
