UN Probes Reports of Rohingya Refugee Boats Sinking in Bay of Bengal

SYDNEY- The United Nations refugee agency said on Tuesday it was investigating reports that two boats carrying Rohingya refugees from Myanmar capsized in the Bay of Bengal after departing the country’s western Rakhine state in late June, raising fears of significant loss of life.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said it was working to verify the circumstances surrounding the reported sinkings but had not yet confirmed how many people were aboard either vessel or where the incidents occurred.

“We are deeply concerned by the potential loss of life and are working to verify further details,” the agency said in a statement.

UNHCR declined to provide additional information while its investigation continues.

The reported maritime disaster comes as growing numbers of Rohingya attempt dangerous sea journeys in search of safety and better living conditions, driven by conflict, persecution and deteriorating humanitarian conditions in Myanmar and refugee camps in neighboring Bangladesh.

Around 1.2 million stateless Rohingya, most of them Muslims, remain in overcrowded camps in Bangladesh after fleeing successive waves of violence by Myanmar’s security forces. The United States has described the military’s 2017 campaign against the minority as genocide.

The military continues to rule Myanmar, leaving few prospects for the voluntary return of Rohingya refugees. Those who remain in Rakhine State face severe movement restrictions, while many continue to live in internment camps.

Humanitarian conditions have worsened in recent months as reductions in foreign assistance from the United States and other donor countries have led to cuts in food rations for refugees in Bangladesh. At the same time, fighting between Myanmar’s military and an ethnic armed organization in Rakhine has added to instability in the region.

Those pressures have prompted more Rohingya to board overcrowded and often unseaworthy vessels in an attempt to reach Malaysia across the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea.

The UN refugee agency said thousands of Rohingya have died during such crossings over the years, including women, children and infants. It also noted that boats carrying Rohingya have frequently remained without timely rescue despite reports of distress at sea.

Calling for greater regional cooperation, UNHCR said saving lives at sea remains both a humanitarian obligation and a longstanding responsibility under international maritime law. The agency urged governments to strengthen search-and-rescue operations and called on regional authorities and the broader international community to increase support for people undertaking perilous maritime journeys.

According to UNHCR, more than 6,500 Rohingya fled by boat in 2025, with nearly 900 reported dead or missing, making it the deadliest year on record for Rohingya attempting sea crossings and the world’s highest mortality rate among major refugee and migrant maritime routes.

The agency said more than 5,400 Rohingya have attempted similar journeys so far in 2026, with 540 people reported dead or missing.