DHAKA, Bangladesh: About 250 people, including children, were feared missing after a boat carrying Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi nationals capsized in the Andaman Sea, the United Nations said on Tuesday.
“The trawler, which departed from Teknaf in southern Bangladesh and was on its way to Malaysia, reportedly sank due to heavy winds, rough seas, and overcrowding,” the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said in a statement.
@UNHCR_BGD and @IOMBangladesh are deeply saddened by reports that some 250 men, women and children are missing at sea after a boat carrying Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi nationals capsized in the Andaman Sea.
Our joint statement 👇🏻 pic.twitter.com/GN37vitIE4
— UNHCR in Bangladesh (@UNHCR_BGD) April 14, 2026
The exact circumstances surrounding the latest incident were unclear, but preliminary information indicated that the vessel was carrying some 280 people and left Bangladesh on April 4.
The Bangladesh Coast Guard (BCG) said one of its ships, which was on the way to Indonesia, managed to rescue nine people from the sea, including one woman, on April 9.
“The Bangladeshi flag carrier M.T. Meghna Pride… spotted several people floating in the sea using drums and logs and rescued them from deep waters near the Andaman Islands,” BCG spokesman Lieutenant Commander Sabbir Alam Sujan told AFP.
The UNHCR said the latest incident reflected the “dire consequences of displacement”.
The Andaman Sea stretches along the western shores of Myanmar, Thailand and the Malay Peninsula.
Last year, the UNHCR said that 427 Rohingya were feared dead at sea in two shipwrecks off the Myanmar coast in May.
