At least 68 migrants killed, 74 missing as boat capsizes off Yemen
The vessel, which was carrying 154 Ethiopian migrants, sank in the Gulf of Aden near Abyan province, according to Abdusattor Esoev, head of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Yemen, reported the Associated Press.
Esoev told AP that the bodies of 54 migrants washed ashore in the district of Khanfar. Fourteen others were found dead and taken to a hospital morgue in Zinjibar, the provincial capital of Abyan on Yemen's southern coast.
Only 12 migrants survived the shipwreck, while the remaining passengers were still missing and presumed dead, Esoev added.
The Abyan security directorate, in a statement, said a large-scale search and rescue operation was launched in response to the high number of casualties. Authorities reported that numerous bodies were discovered scattered along an extensive stretch of the coastline.
Rising toll of migrant deaths at sea
The IOM noted that this incident was the latest in a string of similar tragedies. In March, four boats carrying migrants capsized off the coasts of Yemen and Djibouti, resulting in two confirmed deaths and 186 people reported missing.
According to a March report by the IOM, more than 60,000 migrants arrived in Yemen in 2024, marking a sharp drop from 97,200 in 2023. The shift was likely due to increased patrolling of regional waters.
Despite enduring more than a decade of civil war, Yemen continues to be a key route for migrants from East Africa and the Horn of Africa attempting to reach wealthier Gulf Arab nations in search of work.
Migrants typically rely on smugglers who transport them in overcrowded and unsafe boats across the Red Sea or Gulf of Aden, often leading to deadly maritime disasters.
(With AP inputs)
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