250 missing after migrant boat sinks in Indian Ocean
Kelly NgAnd
Sardar Ronnie,Dhaka
AFP via Getty Images
About 250 Rohingya and Bangladeshis, including children, are missing after their boat sank last week in the Andaman Sea, according to the United Nations refugee and migration agencies.
The trawler, which had left Bangladesh and was heading to Malaysia, “is believed to have sunk due to strong winds, rough seas and overcrowding”, the agencies said.
It’s unclear when the boat capsized, but on April 9, a Bangladesh-flagged vessel rescued nine people who were “clinging to barrels and wooden debris” to stay afloat, the coast guard said.
Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya, one of Myanmar’s many ethnic minorities, have fled to Bangladesh since a deadly 2017 crackdown.
The Rohingya, who are predominantly Muslim, are being denied citizenship by the government of Myanmar, a Buddhist-majority country.
But poor living conditions in Bangladesh have also prompted some Rohingya to make precarious journeys on overcrowded boats to Malaysia, a Muslim country that some view as a safe haven in the region.
Citing those rescued after last week’s incident, a coast guard member, who asked not to be named, told the BBC that they left Bangladesh for Malaysia on April 4 “in the hope of a better life.”
He said that on April 7 or 8, their boat was caught in a storm.
“They remained floating at sea for almost two days, clinging to drums and pieces of wood,” he added.
As the Bangladesh-flagged tanker Meghna Pride sailed from Bangladesh to Indonesia, its crew found the survivors around 2 a.m. on April 11 and took them on board. Later, it was learned that they belonged to the Bangladeshi and Rohingya communities of Cox’s Bazar.
The vessel then entered Bangladeshi waters and handed them over to the Coast Guard vessel ‘Mansur Ali’.
Survivors reported seeing nearly 100 people.
“But the exact number is still unknown,” the officer added, “and there is no trace of the others or the boat.”
Rafiqul Islam, one of the survivors, told AFP he had floated for nearly 36 hours before being rescued, adding that he had been burned by oil spilled from the ship.
The 40-year-old said it was the promise of a job in Malaysia that persuaded him to board the boat.
“This tragic incident reflects the dire consequences of prolonged displacement and the lack of durable solutions for the Rohingya,” the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said in a statement released jointly with the International Organization for Migration.
Ongoing violence in Rakhine, their home state in Myanmar, has “dashed hopes of a safe return in the near future”, the agencies said, noting that dwindling humanitarian aid and harsh living conditions in refugee camps have pushed them to “undertake highly dangerous sea journeys in search of safety and opportunity”.
These boats are often small and cramped, lacking basic amenities like fresh water and sanitation. They don’t always arrive at their destination. Some die at sea, while others are sometimes detained or deported.
Some have also been turned away when approaching Malaysia and Indonesia, either by authorities or local coastal communities. In January 2025, Malaysia turned back two boats carrying around 300 refugees after giving the passengers food and water.
“People are dying in the fighting, dying of starvation. So some people think it’s better to die at sea than to die slowly here,” a Rohingya refugee from Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, previously told Reuters.
In their statement on Tuesday, UN agencies called on the international community to maintain funding for Rohingya refugees and their host communities in Bangladesh.
They added: “As Bangladesh celebrates its new year, this tragedy is a reminder of the urgently needed efforts to address the root causes of displacement in Myanmar and create conditions that would allow Rohingya refugees to return home voluntarily, safely and with dignity.
