Around 250 feared missing after Rohingya and Bangladeshi boat capsizes in Andaman Sea: UN

About 250 people, including children, are feared missing after a boat carrying Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi nationals capsized in the Andaman Sea, the United Nations said on Tuesday.

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said the trawler departed from Teknaf in southern Bangladesh and was headed for Malaysia when it sank, likely due to heavy winds, rough seas, and overcrowding.

Preliminary information suggests the vessel was carrying around 280 people and left Bangladesh on April 4. The exact circumstances of the incident remain unclear.

The Bangladesh Coast Guard said it rescued nine survivors on April 9, including a woman. One of its vessels reportedly spotted people drifting at sea using drums and logs and pulled them from waters near the Andaman Islands.

Survivors said the journey was organized by traffickers who promised work in Malaysia. One survivor, Rafiqul Islam, said passengers were held in the boat’s lower compartments, and some died during the voyage. He added that fuel leakage caused burns before the vessel capsized after several days at sea.

Thousands of Rohingya, a persecuted Muslim minority from Myanmar, attempt dangerous sea journeys each year, often fleeing overcrowded refugee camps in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar. Many are escaping long-term displacement and violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine state, where fighting between the military and the Arakan Army has intensified.

Malaysia remains a key destination for migrants from across South and Southeast Asia, but sea crossings arranged by trafficking networks are frequently deadly due to overcrowding and unsafe vessels.

UNHCR said the tragedy highlights the “dire consequences of protracted displacement and the absence of durable solutions for the Rohingya,” and urged stronger efforts to address the root causes of the crisis and enable safe, voluntary returns to Myanmar.