Rohingya Catastrophe: Over 500 Missing in Deadly Sea Voyages

When Nur Kalima’s two young children ask where their father is, she tells them he will return soon. In reality, however, she remains convinced he has been dead for weeks.

She believes her husband, Abdul Rahman, was aboard one of two boats that the United Nations confirmed sank off Myanmar’s coast this month. The vessels were transporting mostly Rohingya Muslims fleeing to Malaysia for better opportunities. According to the UN, more than 500 people are feared dead.

“Who will care for me now?” asked Ms. Nur Kalima, 24, who is pregnant with her third child.

Her family resides among over one million Rohingya in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, since being displaced from Myanmar nearly a decade ago. They face severe limitations in accessing education, employment, and dwindling international aid.

Six weeks ago, Mr. Abdul Rahman left his family’s bamboo shelter in the camps, likely seeking work abroad. A week later, an unidentified man contacted Ms. Nur Kalima, informing her her husband was en route to Malaysia and demanding $3,000 for his “safety”—a clear indicator of human traffickers’ involvement.

The calls ceased thereafter. Instead, reports emerged of bodies washing ashore along Myanmar’s coast. Ms. Nur Kalima’s despair deepened.

The UN attributes the disaster to two vessels that departed from Rakhine State, a region in western Myanmar and the Rohingya’s traditional homeland. One boat went missing shortly after departure, while the other reportedly capsized about a week into the journey.

No rescue efforts have been reported.

Lynn Htet, a Myanmar researcher with Fortify Rights, expressed anguish over the lack of global response. “If the victims were from Western nations, search operations would likely be immediate. Rohingya, however, are invisible and ignored.”

Over the past decade, approximately 5,000 Rohingya have drowned at sea, with 2025 marking the deadliest year on record.

“This tragedy again highlights the lethal consequences of Rohingya persecution, violence, and systemic rights denial,” Doctors Without Borders stated.

Rohingya are stateless in Myanmar and have faced persecution for decades. In 2017, Myanmar’s military conducted an ethnic cleansing operation deemed genocide by the UN and the US.

In April, 250 migrants, including many Rohingya, died when their boat capsized in the Andaman Sea.

Mohammed Rafique, a 26-year-old Rohingya survivor, described horrific conditions on the overcrowded vessel. “Some suffocated in the fish hold before it sank. I endured the worst and would never advise anyone to take this risk.”

The UN urges regional and international action to address the surge in Rohingya boat journeys through the Bay of Bengal. “Stronger measures are needed to prevent further deaths on one of the world’s most dangerous maritime routes,” the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and IOM stated jointly.

Hamid Ullah, 19, from the Cox’s Bazar camp, is believed to have been on one of the boats. He remains missing. His family struggles to contact him due to disrupted connectivity in Rakhine State caused by Myanmar’s civil conflict.

His brother-in-law, Nur Mohammed, said, “The entire community is praying for him.”

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