UN alarmed as two boats carrying over 500 Rohingya go missing

The United Nations announced that two boats carrying more than 500 people, mostly Rohingya Muslims, have gone missing after departing Myanmar. The organizations expressed deep concern over the possibility of large-scale loss of life.

Scraper SystemJuly 16, 2026, 07:38 PM

UN alarmed as two boats carrying over 500 Rohingya go missing

The United Nations voiced concern that more than 500 Rohingya Muslims may have died after two boats went missing after departing Myanmar. In a joint statement, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said the boats were largely carrying Rohingya Muslims.

According to the statement, the first boat, estimated to be carrying around 250 people, lost contact shortly after departing Myanmar's Rakhine state in late June. The second boat, carrying around 280 people, is believed to have capsized off Myanmar's Ayeyarwady region on July 8.

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UNHCR and IOM stressed that details of the incident and data on possible casualties have not yet been officially confirmed. The organizations said they are 'deeply concerned about the possibility of large-scale loss of life.'

Call for a lasting solution

The UN agencies drew attention to the lack of a lasting solution to the Rohingya issue. They called on the international community to support people in refugee camps in Bangladesh. Myanmar's Interior Ministry spokesperson Soe Lin Aung declined to comment on the matter.

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Past violence

In 2012, clashes between Buddhists and Muslims in Myanmar's Rakhine state killed thousands and burned hundreds of homes and businesses. After attacks on border posts on August 25, 2017, the Myanmar military and Buddhist nationalists launched widespread violence.

According to UN figures, the number of Rakhine residents who fled persecution and violence to Bangladesh after August 2017 exceeded 900,000. International human rights organizations released satellite images showing hundreds of villages destroyed. The UN and international human rights bodies describe the violence against Rohingya Muslims as 'ethnic cleansing' or 'genocide'.

UN alarmed as two boats carrying over 500 Rohingya go missing