About 250 people remain missing after a boat carrying Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi nationals capsized in the Andaman Sea, according to the United Nations refugee and migration agencies. The vessel, a crowded trawler with more than 250 passengers including men, women, and children, reportedly sank amid heavy winds and rough sea conditions.

The boat departed from Teknaf, a coastal town in southern Bangladesh, on April 4, bound for Malaysia. Authorities have indicated that the vessel likely capsized due to a combination of severe weather and overcrowding. The Bangladesh Coast Guard (BCG) reported that one of its vessels, en route to Indonesia, rescued nine survivors from the sea near the Andaman Islands on April 9. Among those rescued was a woman, according to Lt. Cmdr. Sabbir Alam Sujan, a BCG spokesperson.

The passengers were believed to have been fleeing dire conditions in Cox’s Bazar, home to more than a million Rohingya refugees living in overcrowded camps after being displaced from Myanmar’s Rakhine State. The region has been marked by violent clashes between Myanmar’s military and the Arakan Army, an ethnic rebel group seeking greater autonomy. The Rohingya minority, a Muslim group long persecuted in majority-Buddhist Myanmar, have faced systematic violence, including a military offensive in 2017 that prompted over 730,000 to flee to Bangladesh. A United Nations fact-finding mission described the campaign as containing genocidal acts, a characterization denied by the Myanmar government.

One survivor, Rafilqul Islam, 40, told officials that traffickers had promised him work in Malaysia to lure him onto the boat. He described being confined below deck in hazardous conditions, where some passengers died, and sustaining burns from spilled oil during the four-day journey before the vessel capsized. Islam said he and others spent nearly 36 hours adrift before being rescued.

Humanitarian agencies highlighted the tragedy as emblematic of the ongoing risks faced by displaced Rohingya seeking refuge through dangerous sea routes. Thousands attempt similar voyages each year to reach countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand, often aboard makeshift or unsafe boats.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) called for increased and sustained international support to provide life-saving assistance to Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh and to bolster aid for the host communities that accommodate them.

The incident underscores the persistent vulnerabilities of the Rohingya population trapped amid protracted displacement and unresolved political conflicts in the region. Despite international attention, durable solutions to their plight remain elusive, leading many to risk perilous journeys in search of safety and stability.