"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.

Deux bateaux de réfugiés ont quitté l'Etat occidental de Rakhine, fin juin. Le premier, qui transportait près de 250 personnes, «a perdu tout contact peu après son départ», le…

The UN's warnings come amid torrential rain and flooding across the region, heightening the peril for any ocean crossing.