Two vessels that departed Myanmar's Rakhine State in late June, carrying more than 500 people mostly identified as Rohingya, are feared to have capsized, with one losing contact and another believed to have sunk on July 8. IOM and UNHCR issued a joint statement on July 16 expressing concern over potential loss of life amid reports of nearly 300 missing or dead in the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal this year. The journeys occurred outside the regular sailing season during periods of heavy rain and flooding.