A boat carrying 154 migrants capsized on Sunday in waters off the coast of Yemen, leaving at least 68 African migrants dead and 74 others missing, the United Nations’ migration agency confirmed.
Abdul Qadir Bajameel, a senior health official in the province, said only 10 survivors had been rescued so far — nine of them Ethiopian nationals and one Yemeni. “Dozens remain unaccounted for,” he added, while rescue operations continued late into the night.
Local media reported that rescue teams were still searching for bodies and possible survivors.
The vessel, with 154 Ethiopian migrants on board, sank in the Gulf of Aden off the southern Yemeni province of Abyan early Sunday, Abdusattor Esoev, head of the International Organization for Migration in Yemen told The Associated Press.
MIGRANTS RISK LIVES ON DEADLY ROUTE
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has repeatedly warned about the dangers of the sea route between the Horn of Africa and Yemen. Migrants — mostly from Ethiopia and Somalia — regularly attempt the dangerous crossing with hopes of reaching Saudi Arabia or other Gulf nations in search of work.
“This is one of the world’s busiest and most perilous mixed migration routes,” the IOM said in a statement. The agency said that more than 60,000 migrants risked their lives to cross into Yemen in 2024 — a slightly lower number than the 97,200 who made the journey in 2023.
The IOM believes the drop in migrant arrivals is likely due to stepped-up patrols along the sea routes. According to the agency, 558 people died on the route last year, and over the past decade, at least 2,082 migrants have gone missing — with 693 of those confirmed to have drowned.
Despite the ongoing humanitarian crisis and fragile security situation, Yemen is still a destination and transit country for migrants. Since the outbreak of the Yemeni civil war in 2014, thousands of African migrants have entered the country, some seeking safety, others using it as a route to the Gulf, and many locals have left.
A truce deal reached in April 2022 between Houthi rebels and Yemen’s internationally recognised government has led to a relative decrease in violence.
“Many migrants end up stuck in Yemen, facing harsh conditions, abuse, or detention,” the IOM has previously reported. The agency estimates that around 380,000 refugees and migrants are currently in Yemen.
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With inputs from Agencies