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Approximately 250 people, including many children, are feared missing after an overcrowded vessel carrying Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi nationals capsized in the Andaman Sea.
According to a statement released by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Tuesday, the trawler departed from Teknaf in southern Bangladesh on April 4, bound for Malaysia.
Preliminary reports indicate the boat sank due to a combination of severe winds, rough sea conditions, and excessive weight.
The vessel was reportedly carrying 280 passengers, most of whom were likely seeking an escape from the overcrowded and squalid conditions of the Cox’s Bazar refugee camps in Bangladesh.
These camps currently house over 1,000,000 Rohingya who fled persecution and civil war in Myanmar’s Rakhine state.
The region remains a primary conflict zone as the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army rebel group continue to fight for territorial control.
The UNHCR emphasised that this tragedy is a direct consequence of long-term displacement and a lack of sustainable solutions for the Rohingya people.
The incident serves as a stark reminder of the escalating dangers faced by those fleeing Myanmar by sea; just last year, an estimated 427 Rohingya were reported dead or missing following two separate shipwrecks in the same region.
The UN is calling for urgent international action to address the root causes of the crisis and establish safe conditions for voluntary return.
