UN agency investigating reports of 2 boats capsizing with Rohingya refugees

FILE -UNCHR High Commissioner Barham Salih talks during an interview with The Associated Press, in Rome, Jan. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini), File)

SYDNEY — The United Nations refugee agency is investigating reports that two boats carrying members of Myanmar’s persecuted Rohingya minority have capsized in the Bay of Bengal.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees said in a statement Tuesday that the boats reportedly departed Myanmar’s western state of Rakhine in late June before sinking.

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

The agency declined to release additional details, including how many Rohingya were believed to be on board or the approximate location where the boats sank.

Around 1.2 million stateless, predominantly Muslim Rohingya remain trapped in squalid, overcrowded refugee camps in Bangladesh after fleeing waves of violence by Myanmar’s security forces.

The refugees have no way to safely return to Myanmar, where the military that killed thousands of Rohingya in 2017 during what the United States declared a genocide remains in charge of their homeland. The Rohingya still living in Myanmar face severe restrictions and many are confined to internment camps.

Steep cuts to foreign aid by the U.S. and other countries have led to ration cuts in Bangladesh’s refugee camps, while the ruling military and an ethnic armed organization in Rakhine have fought for control of the region.

The unrest has led to an increasing number of Rohingya attempting to make the dangerous ocean crossing to Malaysia on rickety boats. Thousands reportedly have died in the process, including babies, children and pregnant women. Local maritime authorities have frequently abandoned the Rohingya at sea, often ignoring reports of boats in distress.

“Saving lives and rescuing those in distress at sea is a humanitarian imperative and a longstanding duty under international maritime law,” the UNHCR said Tuesday, calling on nations to step up search and rescue efforts and urging regional authorities and the international community to take more action. More than 6,500 Rohingya fled and nearly 900 were reported dead or missing in 2025, the deadliest year for Rohingya who tried to leave by boat. The figure represents the highest mortality rate of any major route for refugee and migrant sea journeys in the world, the UNHCR said.

More than 5,400 Rohingya refugees have fled by boat so far this year, with 540 reported missing or dead.

Kristen Gelineau, The Associated Press