Number of Rohingya sea deaths hit new high last year

Desperate attempt: Rohingya refugees waiting to be rescued from the hull of their capsized boat as a National Search and Rescue Agency vessel approaches in waters some 16 nautical miles off west Aceh on March 21, 2024. — AFP

Nearly 900 Rohingya refugees were reported missing or dead in the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal in 2025, making it the deadliest year on record for the route, the United Nations refugee agency said.

More than one in seven of the estimated 6,500 Rohingya refugees who attempted the sea crossing last year were reported missing or dead, the highest mortality rate worldwide for refugee and migrant sea journeys, UNHCR spokesperson Babar Baloch told reporters in Geneva on Friday.

The risky sea crossings have continued into 2026, with more than 2,800 Rohingya embarking on such journeys up until April 13 this year, Baloch said.

In recent years, more than half of those attempting the crossings have been women and children, UNHCR said.

“No one would put their family on a risky boat, knowing that the chances of survival are really low, if the sense of desperation is not there,” Baloch said.

Deadly maritime journeys have become a recurring feature of a long-running humanitarian crisis resulting from conflict in Myan­mar, as members of the Rohingya Muslim minority continue to risk their lives on overcrowded, unseaworthy boats in search of safety and opportunity.

Their departures are driven by violence at home and desperate conditions in crowded refugee camps in Bangladesh.

They hope to reach safety and opportunity in countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia or Thailand.

This week, the UN refugee and migration agencies said around 250 people were missing after a boat that departed from Teknaf in southern Bangladesh carrying Rohingya refugees and Bang­ladeshi nationals capsized in the ​Andaman Sea.

Global donor funding cuts, which are impacting humanitarian support, are driving desperation among some of the one million Rohingya refugees currently in Bangladesh, Baloch said.

“This sad and tragic trend continues, this sense of desperation among the Rohingya population,” he said.

UNHCR has requested US$200mil (RM790.5mil) this year to support the Rohingya population living in the Cox’s Bazar camp and on the island of Bhasan Char who rely entirely on humanitarian assistance including food, water, shelter and health.

However, it is currently only 32% funded.

Over 1.3 million Rohingya refugees and asylum seekers remain displaced across the region, including 1.2 million in Bang­ladesh, according to UNHCR. — Reuters