A desperate bid for safety turned tragic when a vessel carrying Rohingya refugees from Myanmar sank near the Thai-Malaysian maritime border, leaving hundreds missing and at least seven people confirmed dead.
Malaysia’s maritime authorities said on Sunday that only 13 survivors have been pulled from the water so far, as search teams continue scanning a vast area of 170 square nautical miles around Langkawi island.
According to area maritime chief Romli Mustafa, the boat had departed Myanmar’s troubled Rakhine state three days earlier with roughly 300 people on board.
The journey is one that has become tragically familiar, as Rohingya families attempt to escape worsening violence and deprivation.
Images released by the agency showed survivors exhausted and wrapped in sheets as rescuers worked to stabilise them.
Rakhine state has endured years of conflict and discrimination, particularly targeting the Rohingya Muslim minority.
Following the Myanmar military’s brutal operations in 2017, more than a million Rohingya fled to Bangladesh, where they now live in overcrowded camps prone to fires, floods and dwindling humanitarian support.
With options narrowing both at home and in exile, many continue to entrust their fate to smugglers and unseaworthy boats.
Malaysian state media outlet Bernama, citing Kedah police chief Adzli Abu Shah, reported that the passengers had initially boarded a large vessel in Myanmar.
To avoid detection as they approached Malaysian waters, they were told to transfer onto three smaller boats, each carrying around 100 people.
Authorities have yet to locate the other two vessels, and the search-and-rescue effort remains under way.
The Rohingya’s reliance on dangerous sea routes has intensified this year, with the UN Refugee Agency estimating that more than 5,100 people have attempted the journey from Myanmar and Bangladesh between January and early November.
Nearly 600 have been reported dead or missing, underscoring the deadly stakes faced by a community with few safe alternatives and little prospect of immediate relief.
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