UN fears death toll of more than 500 in two Rohingya boat capsizes

POBNEWS24 Dhaka, July 16, 2026 : The United Nations fears that more than 500 people may have died in two boat capsizing incidents involving Rohingya off the coast of Myanmar. Among them were Rohingyas who had set sail from refugee camps in Bangladesh to Malaysia by sea, the agency said. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) confirmed this information in a joint statement on Thursday.
In the midst of this incident, the recovery of three unidentified bodies off the coast of Teknaf in Cox’s Bazar and the claim of fishermen who went fishing in the Bay of Bengal to see multiple floating bodies have created new concerns. However, no direct connection has been confirmed yet with the boat capsizing incidents off the coast of Myanmar.
On July 11, some fishermen from Shahparir Island and St. Martin’s Island while fishing in the Bay of Bengal claimed to have seen multiple bodies of women floating in the deep sea. They claim that they were terrified after seeing the bodies and quickly rolled up their nets.
Abu Bakar, a trawler fisherman from Shahparir Island, said, “About a week ago, while fishing, I saw the bodies of several women floating in the distance. I was scared after seeing the scene and quickly moved the trawler to the other side. There was a strong wind in the sea at that time. I think the bodies could be Rohingyas.”
Syed Alam Majhi, another fisherman from Shahparir Island, shared a similar experience. He said, “Last week, on my way back from fishing, I saw four bodies, including two children, floating in the sea south of St. Martin. At that time, I thought they might be victims of a trawler sinking in Malaysia.”
Teknaf Model Police Station OC Saiful Islam said, “In the past few days, three half-melted bodies of women have been recovered from the coastal areas of Teknaf and St. Martin. None of the bodies had hands, and none had heads.”
He said, “We have seen the news of the Rohingya trawler sinking off the coast of Myanmar in the media. We are investigating the identities of the recovered bodies and the bodies floating in the Naf River and the sea.” Rohingya leaders allege that torture and pressure on the Rohingyas in the areas under the control of the Arakan Army in Rakhine continue. Many are leaving for Malaysia by risky sea routes to save their lives. There are also allegations of extortion of huge sums of money per person.
Rohingya leader of Ukhiya Dr. Zobair said, “There is an attempt to completely expel the Rohingyas from Rakhine. They are being sent by sea during the rainy season by showing various temptations, which has become a death trap for many.” We have learned that Rohingyas from our camp were also among the boat sinking. However, many are still not speaking publicly for fear of losing their relatives.
Earlier, on April 11, the Indian Coast Guard rescued nine people, including a woman, alive while floating in the deep sea near the Andaman Islands. After that incident, relatives of the missing passengers in various areas including Shahparir Island in Teknaf, Bangladesh, became desperate to find them. Locals claim that more than a hundred people are still missing in the trawler sinking incident at that time. Meanwhile, the latest fears of the United Nations and the recovery of one body after another on the Teknaf coast have created new concerns in the border area. However, no official confirmation has been received yet on whether the recovered bodies are those of the passengers of the boat that sank off the Myanmar coast.