Rohingya Feared Dead at Sea UNHCR Urges Immediate Action

At least 427 Rohingya are feared dead or missing after two overcrowded boats sank in the Bay of Bengal earlier this month, in what the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has described as the deadliest maritime tragedy involving Rohingya in 2025.

The first vessel, carrying 267 people, sank on 9 May. Only 66 survived. The very next day, a second boat with 247 people on board capsized. Just 21 made it out alive. A third boat, carrying 188 Rohingya, was intercepted on 14 May while attempting to leave Myanmar by sea.

Most of the passengers were Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar camps and internally displaced people from Rakhine State. Driven by fear, worsening insecurity, and the collapse of humanitarian support, they risked their lives to escape during the dangerous monsoon season.

UNHCR reports that nearly 1 in 5 Rohingya who attempted sea journeys this year are either dead or missing. The agency attributes this tragic figure to a worsening humanitarian situation and the lack of viable alternatives for Rohingya.

“Funding cuts and lack of protection are forcing Rohingya to risk their lives at sea,” said Hai Kyung Jun, UNHCR’s Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific. She warned that the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea have become some of the deadliest waters in the world for refugees.

UNHCR is urging regional governments to uphold their duty to rescue and protect people at sea, and for the international community to step up its support. The agency emphasized that until conditions improve in Rakhine, Rohingya refugees must be protected where they are.

To sustain its humanitarian operations across Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Southeast Asia, UNHCR has appealed for USD 383.1 million in funding for 2025. As of mid-May, only 30 percent of that target has been met.

Without increased international support, UNHCR warns, more lives will be lost as Rohingya continue to embark on dangerous sea journeys in search of safety and dignity.

RVision News urges global actors, donors, and regional states to take immediate, coordinated action to prevent further tragedy and ensure Rohingya lives are no longer lost at sea.

Stay with Rohingya Vision News for further updates on this developing crisis.