More than 500 feared dead as officials investigate reports of boats capsizing in recent weeks

More than 500 persons are feared dead after reports of two large shipwrecks off the coast of Myanmar since late June, the United Nations’ refugee and migration agencies said on Thursday.

The International Organization for Migration and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees said that they are concerned by reports that two boats carrying the persons may have capsized in recent days.

The persons on board the boats are mostly Rohingya, reportedly including some who had travelled from refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, the agencies said.