Hundreds of migrants missing after boat capsizes in Indian Ocean

Peter Stevens
Wed, 15 Apr 2026 05:46:05 +0000

Hundreds of people have been reported missing after a migrant boat capsized in the Indian Ocean.

The trawler, which departed from Bangladesh and was headed towards Malaysia, sank due to rough conditions and overcrowding, according to the United Nations' refugee and migration agencies.

The Bangladesh Coast Guard said one of its ships rescued nine people from the vessel on April 9, but it is unclear when exactly the boat capsized.

Rafiqul Islam, one of the survivors, said he floated for nearly 36 hours before being rescued.

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Oil which spilled from the vessel caused the 40-year-old to suffer burn injuries.

He said the promise of a job in Malaysia is what persuaded him to board the dangerous migrant-crossing vessel.

Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya, an ethnic minority in Myamnar, have entered Bangladesh since a crackdown began in 2017.

The Rohingya are a primarily Muslim group who are denied citizenship by Myanmar.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Bangladesh said: "This tragic incident reflects the dire consequences of protracted displacement and the absence of durable solutions for the Rohingya."

Conflict within Rakhine state continues, which has lead to an increase of Rohingya taking "dangerous sea journeys", the agencies said.

The boats, which traverse the Andaman Sea, are often small, cramped and lacking in basic facilities.

They frequently do not finish their journeys, being intercepted, detained, or sunk due to rough conditions.

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The UNHCR said smuggling networks said better wages abroad combined with "misinformation spread by smuggling networks" causes Rohingya and Bangladeshi people to take boat journeys.

Some asylum seekers have been turned away upon arrival to Malaysia or Indonesia.

In January 2025, Malaysia turned away two boats of around 300 migrants, providing them with food and water.

The UN agencies urged the international community to "step up solidarity and sustain funding" for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.

Rohingya refugee in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, previously said: "People are dying in the fighting, dying from hunger.

"So some think it's better to die at sea than to die slowly here."

The incident at sea follows Myanmar's newly-elected president Min Aung Hlaing - who served as acting president after his 2021 military coup - has had a criminal case filed against him in Indonesia.

It was filed to the Indonesia's Attorney General's office by Yasmin Ullah, a Rohingya who fled Myanmar.

The office said it would present evidence of the forced displacement of Rohingya, as well as killings by the military junta.

Min Aung Hlaing was elected president of Myanmar on April 3, in what was widely considered a sham by Western governments.

The former military officer came into power when he arrested Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021, which led to widespread protests and nationwide armed resistance against his junta.