At least 500 refugees feared dead after boats sink in the Bay of Bengal

At least 500 people are feared dead after two boats carrying Rohingya refugees sank in the Bay of Bengal while travelling from Myanmar to Bangladesh.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said in a joint statement that the boats, carrying about 530 refugees, departed from Myanmar's Rakhine State in late June. They sank under unclear circumstances in early July while en route to Bangladesh.

It is believed that adverse weather conditions may have caused the boats to collide. No search and rescue operations were conducted at the site of the disaster.

“Although the incident and the number of casualties have not yet been officially confirmed, UNHCR is deeply concerned about the high number of reported deaths resulting from the sinking of boats carrying refugees from Myanmar, as well as the reduction in international food and humanitarian assistance for Rohingya refugees living in camps in Bangladesh,” the statement said.

According to UNHCR, more than 6,500 Rohingya attempted to reach Bangladesh by sea from Myanmar in 2025. However, about 900 of them died or went missing.

Myanmar's authorities refuse to grant citizenship to the Muslim Rohingya, whom they consider to be illegal migrants.