At least 11 people have died after a boat carrying Rohingya refugees from Myanmar capsized near the Thailand-Malaysia maritime border, underscoring the growing and perilous sea migration crisis in the region.
Thai and Malaysian authorities confirmed the discovery of the bodies. Four bodies, including two children aged 10-12 and two adults, were found in Thai waters. This brings the total confirmed dead to 11, after Malaysian maritime agencies earlier recovered seven bodies.
Two women among the deceased in Thai waters carried refugee cards identifying them as Rohingya.
The ill-fated vessel was carrying an estimated 70 passengers. Thirteen survivors have been rescued so far, with 11 identified as Rohingya and two as Bangladeshi nationals. Authorities are still searching for the remaining passengers.
Malaysian officials also noted the unknown fate of another boat believed to be carrying around 230 people.
The capsized boat departed from Myanmar, near the Bangladesh border, approximately two weeks ago. Some passengers reportedly transferred to a second vessel last Thursday, according to Romli Mustafa, director of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency for Kedah and Perlis.
The tragedy comes amid a surge in Rohingya attempting dangerous sea voyages across the Andaman Sea. Many are fleeing persecution and violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, while others depart from overcrowded, deteriorating refugee camps in Bangladesh.
Both Thai and Malaysian search and rescue teams have deployed planes and vessels to the area near Langkawi Island. The closely coordinated operation is expected to continue for up to seven days.
Myanmar’s Rakhine State has been a site of long-standing conflict, famine, and ethnic violence. A brutal military crackdown in 2017 forced over 1.3 million Rohingya to seek refuge in Bangladesh.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported that more than 5,100 Rohingya have undertaken sea journeys from Myanmar and Bangladesh between January and early November this year. Nearly 600 people have died or gone missing during these perilous trips in the same period.