UNHCR says the two shipwrecks, May 9th and 10th, could become “the most deadly tragedy at sea” involving Rohingya so far this year.
At least 427 Rohingya, a Muslim minority in Myanmar, may have died at sea on two shipwrecks on May 9 and 10, the UN said it would be another fatal incident for the persecuted group.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said in a statement Friday that the two incidents will become “the most fatal tragedy at sea” involving Rohingya refugees so far this year.
“The UN Refugee Agency is seriously concerned about reporting the tragedy of two boats off the coast of Myanmar earlier this month,” UNHCR said in a statement, adding that it is still working to confirm the exact situation surrounding the shipwreck.
The agency said preliminary information showed that a ship carrying 267 people sank on May 9, with only 66 survivors, and that on May 10, there were 21 survivors and only 21 survivors, with 247 Rohingyas carrying 247 Rohingyas.
The Rohingya on board said they would either leave Bangladesh’s giant Cox’s bazaar refugee camp or flee the Rakhine province in western Myanmar.
Persecuted in Myanmar for decades, thousands of Rohingya risk their lives each year to escape their country’s crackdown and civil war.
In a post on X, UNHCR High Commissioner Filippo Grandi said the news of the double tragedy was a “reminder of a hopeless situation” for the Rohingyas “a reminder of a hopeless situation” and “a challenge facing Bangladeshi refugees as humanitarian aid.”
In 2017, more than a million Rohingya fled from Myanmar’s Rakhine province to nearby Bangladesh, following brutal crackdowns by Myanmar’s military.
At least 180,000 of the fleeing people are currently facing deportation to Myanmar, while those who remained in Rakhine endure the dire situation confined to refugee camps.
In 2021, the military launched a coup in Myanmar, expelling Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government. Since then, Rakhine has been a scene of a fierce battle between the Arakan army, an ethnic minority rebel group, for the control of the nation amid the growing civil war.
“The dire humanitarian situation worsened by cuts in funding has had a devastating impact on the lives of the Rohingyas, increasingly relying on dangerous journeys seeking safety, protection and dignity for themselves and their families.”
According to UNHCR, 657 Rohingyas died in waters in the area in 2024.
Humanitarian organisations have been hit hard by fund cuts from key donors led by President Donald Trump and other Western US administrations, as they prioritize defence spending spurred by rising fears about Russia and China.
UNHCR is seeking financial support to stabilize the lives of host countries, including Bangladesh, and countries displaced within Myanmar.
The $383 million support request for 2025 is currently only 30% funded, the agency said.
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