More than 500 missing after two refugee boats vanish off Myanmar coast, UN agencies say

By Lex Harvey, CNN

(CNN) — More than 500 people fleeing violence in Myanmar are feared dead after two boats disappeared in rough conditions off the country’s coast, according to two UN migration bodies.

The vessels reportedly departed from Myanmar’s western Rakhine State in late June and were carrying mostly Rohingya passengers, according to a joint statement from the International Organization for Migration and the UN Refugee Agency Thursday.

One boat reportedly carrying 250 people lost contact shortly after departure while another, with about 280 passengers, is believed to have sunk off Myanmar’s Ayeyarwady coast on July 8, according to the statement.

The Rohingya are a stateless Muslim ethnic minority group from Myanmar’s Rakhine state, who have faced decades of state-sponsored persecution, violence and what the US has classified as genocide.

While more than 1 million Rohingya have fled across the border to Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh, where they are mostly confined to overcrowded and squalid camps, roughly 630,000 still live in Rakhine, according to Human Rights Watch.

Myanmar has been in the throes of bloody civil war for more than five years, since the military junta ousted the elected government in 2021. At least 100,000 have been killed in the fighting, according to conflict monitoring group ACLED.

A grave humanitarian crisis is unfolding in Rakhine, exacerbated by the escalating conflict between the junta and the Arakan Army rebel group, which controls much of the state.

Many refugees continue to make perilous sea journeys on rickety boats to flee the violence.

Some of the passengers feared dead had reportedly traveled to Rakhine from the refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, the UN bodies said.

These journeys took place outside of the “regular sailing season,” their statement said, when sea conditions are more dangerous. Recent heavy rainfall and flooding across the region have made the trip even more risky.

Last week torrential rains triggered deadly mudslides and flooding in Cox’s Bazar, flattening shelters and killing more than a dozen people, including children.

Growing toll

While the reports of the capsized boats have yet to be officially confirmed, the IOM and UNHCR said they are “gravely concerned by the potentially devastating loss of life.”

Nearly 300 people have already died or been reported missing in the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal so far this year, they said.

“These reports underscore the devastating impact of protracted conflict and displacement, as well as the continued lack of sustainable solutions for Rohingya communities,” the statement said.

“Escalating conflict and a worsening humanitarian situation in Myanmar, along with limited assistance and opportunities in refugee camps in Bangladesh, contribute to increasing numbers of people attempting perilous sea journeys in search of safety and protection.”

The agencies called for stronger regional and international efforts to prevent further deaths “along one of the world’s deadliest maritime routes,” including through “enhanced search and rescue efforts, access to asylum and protection, and actions against smuggling and trafficking networks.”

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