About 250 Rohingya and Bangladeshi migrants, including children, vanished after their overcrowded boat capsized last week in the rough Andaman Sea, UN refugee and migration agencies revealed.
Capsized by Storm and Crowds
The trawler set sail from Bangladesh, aiming for Malaysia, but “reportedly sank due to heavy winds, rough seas and overcrowding,” the UN said. The Bangladesh Coast Guard rescued nine survivors on April 9, but the exact time of the disaster remains unclear.
Rohingya Refugees in Peril
Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya, a Muslim minority fleeing persecution in Buddhist-majority Myanmar since a 2017 crackdown, now live in squalid camps in Bangladesh. Dire conditions push many to risk deadly sea journeys toward Malaysia, hoping for safety and opportunity. One survivor, 40-year-old Rafiqul Islam, told AFP he drifted for nearly 36 hours, suffering burns from spilt oil. “The promise of a job in Malaysia convinced me to board,” he said.
UN Sounds Alarm Over Ongoing Crisis
“This tragic incident shows the dire consequences of prolonged displacement and lack of solutions for the Rohingya,” the UNHCR warned. Violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine state dashes hopes of a safe return, forcing refugees into hazardous voyages on tiny, overcrowded boats without fresh water or sanitation. Many never reach shore. Some are detained or sent back. In January 2025, Malaysia turned away two boats carrying roughly 300 refugees after giving them food and water.
“People are dying in the fighting, dying from hunger. So some think it’s better to die at sea than to die slowly here,” a Rohingya refugee in Bangladesh told Reuters.
The UN urges the global community to increase funding for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh and tackle the root causes of their flight, so they can return “voluntarily, safely and with dignity.”
