Rohingya refugees: Over 250 people feared dead in Andaman Sea

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) expressed deep concern on Wednesday regarding reports that approximately 250 people are feared dead or missing after a boat carrying Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi nationals capsized in the Andaman Sea. The trawler departed from Teknaf in southern Bangladesh, bound for Malaysia, and reportedly sank last Thursday amid heavy winds, rough seas, and severe overcrowding.

“This incident is a stark reminder of the grave risks people continue to face when undertaking dangerous sea journeys in search of safety and better opportunities,” said IOM spokesperson Mohammedali Abunajela.

“No one should have to choose between remaining in situations of profound hardship or embarking on a journey that may cost them their lives.”

The latest shipwreck underscores the devastating impact of protracted displacement and the lack of sustainable solutions for Rohingya refugees, as well as growing concerns over the security situation in Myanmar’s Rakhine State.

Dire living conditions in refugee camps, limited access to services and livelihood opportunities, declining humanitarian aid, and the lack of prospects for safe and dignified return and reintegration are driving people toward such perilous journeys.

In response to the tragedy, Save the Children emphasized on Wednesday that these sea journeys are extremely dangerous, particularly for children, who are at risk of abuse at sea and often travel without their parents or guardians.

“Desperation is driving these dangerous journeys. Rohingya families are staking their lives on a chance of a better future away from the world’s largest refugee camps,” Golam Mostofa, head of the Save the Children Cox's Bazar office.

“With no formal ways to earn a living, cuts to food rations, limited access to education and training, and growing insecurity, families are being pushed to send their children on life-threatening journeys at sea.”

Smuggling and trafficking networks further exploit these conditions for profit, placing Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi nationals alike at serious risk.

“Rohingya children are getting onto rickety, overcrowded boats in the scorching sun, often at the mercy of traffickers and criminal organizations, with no guarantee they will reach safety,” Mostofa added.

In 2025, more than 6,500 Rohingya refugees embarked on dangerous maritime journeys from Bangladesh and Myanmar, and over 890 of them lost their lives, according to IOM. Deaths and disappearances in the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal rose by more than 40 percent from 2024 to 2025.

Emphasizing that saving lives at sea is a humanitarian imperative, IOM called on states in the region to uphold their obligations under international maritime law. This includes strengthening search-and-rescue operations and ensuring the safe and timely disembarkation of those rescued.

Despite significant funding gaps, IOM and its partners continue to document tragedies, provide life-saving assistance to Rohingya refugees and host communities in Bangladesh, and collaborate with authorities to combat smuggling and trafficking. The agency also urged the international community to increase support and address the root causes of displacement in Myanmar, with the goal of enabling a safe and dignified return.

On Wednesday, UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric echoed these concerns.

“We urge the international community to scale-up support for refugees and host communities in Bangladesh and to address the root causes of displacement in Myanmar to enable safe and dignified return,” Dujarric said.

In 2017, Myanmar’s security forces carried out a campaign of mass atrocities in Rakhine State, forcing over 700,000 Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh. Beginning in August of that year, hundreds of villages were burned, and Rohingya men, women, and children were killed throughout northern Rakhine State ‐ a campaign widely described as ethnic cleansing.

At least 740,000 Rohingya sought refuge in Bangladesh, joining the hundreds of thousands who had previously fled. Nearly nine years later, Rohingya communities—both in exile and those remaining in Myanmar—face an additional deterioration of their already dire circumstances.

An independent international fact-finding mission on Myanmar documented evidence of genocide and crimes against humanity. Yet, no one in Myanmar has been held accountable for the crimes committed against the Rohingya.

Since mid-2024, more than 150,000 additional Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh as violence in Rakhine State has escalated due to the civil war that followed the 2021 military takeover. Rohingya civilians now face threats from both the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army, an ethnic armed group fighting for control of the region.

Prospects for a safe, voluntary, and dignified return remain bleak. Civilians in Rakhine State are caught in the ongoing conflict and are subjected to forced recruitment, human rights violations, and severe movement restrictions, while aid blockages have worsened food insecurity and health conditions.

UN-appointed investigators have launched new inquiries into alleged atrocities committed against multiple communities in the region as fighting continues.

Nearly 1.2 million Rohingya refugees currently live in the sprawling, makeshift camps of Cox’s Bazar, in Bangladesh, the world’s largest refugee settlement. Conditions are rapidly deteriorating. Aid cuts have reduced access to food, healthcare, education, and protective services.

“This year will mark nine years since hundreds of thousands of Rohingya people fled violence in Myanmar and crossed into Bangladesh. Today, the camps in Cox’s Bazar are home to about half a million children – and these children are growing up at a time when crucial funding has been cut to the bone,” said Mostofa of Save the Children.

The organization is calling on donors to increase funding urgently for education, livelihoods, and improved security in the camps. They are also calling on regional governments to allow safe disembarkation and protection for those at sea.

Without renewed funding, humanitarian agencies warn that food assistance could be further reduced, putting more lives at risk. Health and nutrition services are declining, and shortages of clean water and sanitation are increasing the likelihood of disease outbreaks, particularly during the monsoon season.

Bangladesh is currently experiencing a measles outbreak in 58 of its 64 districts. To date, 166 children have died, and 19,161 cases have been hospitalized. In Rohingya refugee camps, 211 suspected cases have been reported. Bangladesh’s outbreak is driven by gaps in routine immunization.

Women, girls, people with disabilities, and other vulnerable groups in Rohingya refugee camps face heightened risks of gender-based violence, human trafficking, and exploitation by armed groups. Protection workers warn that the situation is nearing a breaking point.

The Cox’s Bazar refugee camps are located in an area off the coast of the Bay of Bengal which is highly susceptible to cyclones, flooding, landslides, fires, and the impacts of climate change. Recurring natural disasters have had a devastating impact on the overcrowded camps; the disasters occur so frequently that there is barely enough time to rebuild bamboo and tarpaulin shelters before the next disaster strikes.