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, Reuters reported.

“While the incidents and casualty figures have yet to be officially confirmed, UNHCR and IOM are gravely concerned by ​the potentially devastating loss of life.”

Members of Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslim ​minority for years have risked their lives on flimsy wooden vessels, driven by ‌violence ⁠at home and desperate conditions in crowded refugee camps in Bangladesh, hoping to reach safety and opportunity in countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia or Thailand.

With around 250 people onboard, the first ​boat lost contact ​shortly after departure ⁠and a second vessel carrying around 280 people is believed to have sunk off Myanmar’s ​Ayeyarwady coast on July 8, the UN agencies ​said.

“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.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Rabab Fatima of Bangladesh as his new Special Representative for Afghanistan and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).

According to a statement issued by the UN spokesperson’s office on Wednesday, Fatima will succeed Roza Otunbayeva of Kyrgyzstan, who has led the mission in Afghanistan in recent years.

Guterres expressed his appreciation for Otunbayeva’s dedicated service and also thanked Georgette Gagnon of Canada, UNAMA’s Deputy Special Representative, who is currently serving as Officer-in-Charge of the mission.

Fatima currently serves as the UN’s Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States.

The UN said Fatima brings more than three decades of experience in national and international public service, including bilateral and multilateral diplomacy, policymaking, advocacy, and programme planning and implementation.

Before assuming her current UN role, Fatima served as Bangladesh’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York from 2019 to 2022. During her tenure, she chaired the executive boards of UNICEF and UN Women, became the first woman elected Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission in 2022, and also served as a Vice President of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly.

Her appointment comes as UNAMA continues to play a central role in coordinating international engagement and humanitarian efforts in Afghanistan.