More than 500 people are feared dead after two boats with Rohingya refugees sank in the Bay of Bengal, officials said Thursday.

The International Organization for Migration and the UN refugee agency said the boats left Myanmar’s Rakhine state in late June.

One boat with about 250 people lost contact soon after it left.

A second boat carrying about 280 people is believed to have sunk off Myanmar’s Ayeyarwady coast on July 8.

The agencies said the incidents and casualty numbers have not been officially confirmed.

They noted that recent monsoon rains and flooding made the trip especially dangerous.

About 1.2 million stateless Rohingya remain in overcrowded refugee camps in Bangladesh.

They fled violence by Myanmar’s security forces, which the United States called a genocide in 2017.

Large cuts to foreign aid have led to ration cuts in the camps.

The unrest has pushed more Rohingya to try the dangerous ocean crossing to Malaysia.

The UNHCR said more than 6,500 Rohingya fled and nearly 900 were reported dead or missing in 2025.

The agencies urged stronger international efforts to stop more loss of life on one of the world’s deadliest sea routes.