By Reuters | Posted by TOE

Two boats carrying more than 500 people may have capsized off the coast of Myanmar in recent days, ​UN agencies said on Thursday, as refugees from the ‌war-torn country continue to make perilous maritime journeys in search of safety and better opportunities.

“According to preliminary information, the two vessels departed from ​Myanmar’s Rakhine State in late June carrying mostly Rohingya ​passengers, reportedly including some who had travelled from refugee ⁠camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh,” the International Organization for Migration ​and the UN Refugee Agency said in a joint statement, saying ​more than 500 were feared dead.

Two boats carrying more than 500 people may have capsized off the coast of Myanmar in recent days, ​UN agencies said on Thursday, as refugees from the ‌war-torn country continue to make perilous maritime journeys in search of safety and better opportunities.

“According to preliminary information, the two vessels departed from ​Myanmar’s Rakhine State in late June carrying mostly Rohingya ​passengers, reportedly including some who had travelled from refugee ⁠camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh,” the International Organization for Migration ​and the UN Refugee Agency said in a joint statement, saying ​more than 500 were feared dead.

“These journeys ⁠took place outside the regular sailing season, when maritime conditions are typically more hazardous,” the statement said.

The agencies said that nearly ⁠300 people ​are reported to be missing or ​dead in the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal this year, including Rohingya ​refugees and Bangladeshi nationals.