Society Talk

Why would anyone sail during the monsoon? Trying to understand the numbers

Read the Rohingya boats post. About 250 on one boat, about 280 on the other, so 530ish, matches the 'more than 500 feared dead'.

Al Jazeera says Rohingya usually avoid sailing in the monsoon. And the Guardian says nearly 900 dead or missing at sea last year out of 6,500+ who tried. That's roughly 1 in 7. Who takes those odds in the worst season? What am I missing?