At least 530 Rohingyas are feared to have died after two boats capsized off Myanmar's coast in the Bay of Bengal, according to a joint statement issued on Thursday by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).
The agencies said the two boats left Myanmar's Rakhine State, near the Bangladesh border, in late June. One vessel was carrying around 250 passengers, while the other had about 260 on board.
The passengers included Rohingya from Myanmar as well as Rohingya refugees living in camps in Teknaf, Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh.
According to the statement, contact with both boats was lost after they reached the coast of Ayeyarwady. Around two weeks after departing, the vessels capsized off the coast on 8 July.
The boat carrying around 250 passengers sank first, followed shortly afterwards by the second vessel, the agencies said.
The intended destination of the boats has not been confirmed. However, the IOM and UNHCR said they were believed to have been heading towards Malaysia, Indonesia or Thailand, as the maritime route they were following connects to those countries.
The agencies said no reports had emerged of any survivors from either boat, raising fears that all 530 passengers may have lost their lives.
