Tragic Boat Accident Near Yemen Claims Lives of Migrants
A recent maritime disaster has resulted in the deaths of 68 African migrants, with 74 individuals still unaccounted for, according to the United Nations’ migration agency. The boat, carrying a total of 154 Ethiopian migrants, capsized early Sunday in the Gulf of Aden, close to the southern Yemeni province of Abyan.
The head of the International Organization for Migration in Yemen, Abdusattor Esoev, reported that 54 bodies were discovered along the shore in the Khanfar district, while 14 more were recovered and taken to a morgue in Zinjibar, Abyan’s capital city. Out of the total passengers, only 12 survived the incident, leaving the remaining migrants missing and presumed dead.
The Abyan security directorate launched an extensive search-and-rescue operation due to the significant number of casualties. They noted that many bodies were found scattered along a vast stretch of the coastline.
Yemen remains a critical transit point for migrants from East Africa and the Horn of Africa, despite ongoing civil conflict for over a decade. These migrants, aiming for employment opportunities in Gulf Arab countries, often embark on perilous journeys across the Red Sea or Gulf of Aden in overcrowded vessels operated by smugglers.
In recent months, hundreds of migrants have perished or disappeared in shipwrecks near Yemen. A similar incident in March led to the deaths of two and the disappearance of 186 migrants after four boats capsized near Yemen and Djibouti, as per the International Organization for Migration.
An IOM report from March highlighted a decrease in migrant arrivals to Yemen, with over 60,000 recorded in 2024, compared to 97,200 in 2023, potentially owing to increased maritime patrols.
