Nearly 900 Rohingya dead or missing at sea in one year: UN

Approximately 900 Rohingya died or went missing while crossing the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal in 2025, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has reported.

A UNHCR spokesperson, Babar Baloch, provided this information to AFP. At a press conference in Geneva, he said, "2025 was the deadliest year on record for Rohingya making the sea crossing."

The death toll continues this year. From January 1 to April 13, more than 2,800 Rohingya have embarked on these perilous sea journeys.

A trawler that recently departed from Teknaf bound for Malaysia capsized, leaving nearly 250 people still missing. The accident was reported to have occurred due to overcrowding and rough seas.

UNHCR said more than 6,500 Rohingya attempted this dangerous route last year. One in every seven of them went missing or died. Among all sea routes for refugees globally, this route now has the highest death rate.

The agency also reported that nearly 200,000 Rohingya have attempted to flee by sea since 2012. More than 5,000 people have lost their lives on this route in the last decade. The Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal have become an unmarked graveyard for the Rohingya.

Why take this risky journey?
Rohingya typically begin their journey from the overcrowded refugee camps in Cox's Bazar, where over one million Rohingya who fled Rakhine are living in desperate conditions.

Ongoing conflict between the junta and insurgent groups in Rakhine means they have no opportunity to return to their homeland. Meanwhile, insecurity, lack of education and livelihood opportunities, and reduced humanitarian aid in the camps in Bangladesh are forcing them to choose this dangerous path.

According to UNHCR data, more than half of those making the sea journey are women and children.

The agency said those Rohingya rescued alive are receiving medical and psychological support. It has also called for safe and legal migration pathways and strengthened regional cooperation to prevent human trafficking.

However, the agency also warned that unless the root cause of the crisis is resolved, it will be impossible to stop this procession of deaths at sea.