Overview
- UNHCR said 2025 was the deadliest year on record for Rohingya sea journeys, with nearly 900 people dead or missing and the highest mortality rate of any major route.
- Departures have continued in 2026, with more than 2,800 people taking to sea by mid-April and a recent capsizing that left an estimated 250 missing.
- Nine survivors from the capsized boat were rescued near India’s Andaman Islands, and aid groups are providing medical care and counseling.
- Over half of those attempting these voyages in recent years have been women and children, reflecting deepening desperation in the camps.
- UNHCR links the surge to conflict in Myanmar and worsening conditions in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar camps, where last year’s aid plan was funded at only 53 percent, and it urges safe pathways and stronger regional action against smugglers.