68 refugees die in boat sinking off Yemeni coast
At least 68 African refugees and migrants have died, and 74 remain missing after their boat capsized off the coast of Yemen, the United Nations migration agency has reported.
Abdusattor Esoev, head of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Yemen, told The Associated Press that the vessel carrying 154 Ethiopian migrants sank early Sunday in the Gulf of Aden off Yemen’s southern Abyan province, with only 12 survivors rescued from the shipwreck.
He confirmed that 54 bodies were recovered in Khanfar district, while 14 others were found at a separate location and taken to a hospital morgue.
Yemeni health authorities had earlier reported 54 fatalities. Abdul Qader Bajamil, head of the health office in Zanzibar, said preparations were underway to bury the victims near the city of Shaqra. Search operations are continuing under challenging conditions.
The waterway between the Horn of Africa and Yemen is a common but dangerous route for migrants and refugees. Many flee conflict and poverty in countries like Somalia and Ethiopia, hoping to reach Yemen or transit to wealthier Gulf nations.
The IOM describes this migration route as one of the “busiest and most perilous” in the world. Migrants are often smuggled across the Red Sea or Gulf of Aden in overcrowded, unsafe boats.
In 2024, over 60,000 migrants and refugees arrived in Yemen, a sharp drop from 97,200 in 2023, according to IOM figures.
This migration route has proven deadly, claiming hundreds of lives over the past two years. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), 558 people died along the route in 2024 alone.
Over the past decade, at least 2,082 individuals have gone missing while attempting the journey, including 693 who are confirmed to have drowned.
Yemen, despite its ongoing conflict and humanitarian crisis, currently hosts around 380,000 refugees and migrants.
