At least 250 people missing, including Rohingya and Bangladeshis, after
boat sinks in Andaman Sea
[April 15, 2026]
By JULHAS ALAM
DHAKA,
Bangladesh (AP) — At least 250 people, including Rohingya refugees and
Bangladeshi nationals, were missing after a boat capsized in the Andaman
Sea recently on the way to Malaysia, according to the United Nations’
refugee and migration agencies. |
Rohingya Muslims, who crossed over from Myanmar into Bangladesh, wait in
queues to receive aid at Kutupalong refugee camp in Ukhiya, Bangladesh,
Nov. 15, 2017. (AP Photo/A.M. Ahad, File) |
|
While details remained sketchy, Bangladesh Coast Guard
spokesperson Lt. Com. Sabbir Alam Suzan told The Associated
Press on Wednesday that nine people, including three Rohingya
and six Bangladeshis, were rescued on April 9. Suzan said the
Bangladesh flag carrier M.T. Meghna Pride rescued the nine
people when the crew found them floating at sea after the
capsize.
When the boat sank and the status of any search Wednesday were
unclear.
The U.N. high commissioner for refugees and the International
Organization for Migration in a joint statement said Tuesday
that the trawler departed from Teknaf in the southern
Bangladeshi district of Cox’s Bazar carrying a large number of
passengers to Malaysia.
Overcrowding, strong winds and rough seas caused the vessel to
lose control and sink, the agencies said.
Shari Nijman, a UNCHR communication officer in Cox’s Bazar, said
Wednesday that the agency had no other updates.
Another coast guard media official told the AP by phone
Wednesday that the rescued people, eight men and one woman, were
all safe after being handed over to the coast guard, who brought
them to the police in Teknaf.
The official said the rescue was not part of any official search
operation as it is outside Bangladesh territory, and that the
crew of the M.T. Meghna Pride saved the people while it was on
its way to Indonesia from Bangladesh's Chittagong.
The official spoke by phone on condition of anonymity in line
with official policy.
UNHCR and IOM said the disappearance reflected the protracted
displacement of Rohingya people and the absence of durable
solutions.
They said ongoing violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine state has made
the Rohingya’s safe return to Myanmar uncertain, while limited
humanitarian assistance, as well as restricted access to
education and employment in refugee camps, continue to push
vulnerable Rohingya refugees to choose risky sea journeys, often
based on false promises of higher wages and better opportunities
abroad.
UNHCR and IOM urged the international community to strengthen
funding and solidarity to ensure lifesaving assistance for
Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, which has sheltered more than 1
million Rohingya from Myanmar.
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