More than 500 people are feared dead after two boats carrying members of Myanmar's persecuted Rohingya minority reportedly capsized in the Bay of Bengal, officials said on Thursday.
According to preliminary information, the boats departed Myanmar's western Rakhine state in late June carrying mostly Rohingya passengers, including some who had travelled from refugee camps in neighbouring Bangladesh, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said in a joint statement.
One boat, believed to have been carrying about 250 people, lost contact shortly after departure. A second vessel, reportedly carrying around 280 people, is believed to have sunk off Myanmar's Ayeyarwady coast on July 8.
"While the incidents and casualty figures have yet to be officially confirmed, UNHCR and IOM are gravely concerned by the potentially devastating loss of life," the agencies said.
