A boat carrying hundreds of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar has sunk near the Malaysia–Thailand maritime border, leaving at least seven people dead and many more missing, according to Malaysia’s maritime authorities.
The vessel, believed to have departed from Myanmar’s Rakhine State three days earlier, went down near Langkawi Island. So far, 13 survivors have been rescued from the water, while a search covering 170 square nautical miles continues.
Authorities said the migrants were part of a group of around 300 people attempting to reach Malaysia. Reports indicate that passengers were transferred from a larger boat onto three smaller vessels to evade detection near the Malaysian coast. The fate of the other two boats remains unknown.
The Rohingya, a persecuted Muslim minority, have faced years of displacement and violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine State. Since a military crackdown in 2017, over 1.3 million have sought refuge in overcrowded camps in Bangladesh. Facing worsening conditions, many risk the dangerous voyage across the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea in search of safety.
According to UNHCR, more than 5,100 Rohingya have attempted sea crossings from Myanmar and Bangladesh this year, with nearly 600 reported dead or missing.
