The vessels departed Myanmar's conflict-hit Rakhine state in late June with mainly members of the country's mostly Muslim Rohingya minority on board. Some passengers had reportedly travelled from the refugee camps in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, where more than one million Rohingya refugees live in difficult conditions.

Vessels believed to have left Rakhine in late June carrying mostly Rohingya refugees

More than 500 people are feared dead after two boats carrying Rohingya refugees reportedly capsized off the coast of Myanmar, the United Nations said on Thursday.

In a joint statement, the UN's International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) voiced concern over reports "that two boats carrying more than 500 people may have capsized off the coast of Myanmar in recent days".

According to preliminary information, the vessels departed Myanmar's conflict-hit Rakhine state in late June with mainly members of the country's mostly Muslim Rohingya minority on board. Some passengers had reportedly travelled from the refugee camps in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, where more than one million Rohingya refugees live in difficult conditions.