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The Star
6 days ago
- General
- The Star
IOM says 7 Ethiopian migrants die during week-long sea voyage to Yemen
ADEN, Yemen, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- Seven Ethiopian migrants died from hunger and thirst during a harrowing week-long sea voyage from Somalia to Yemen, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Wednesday. The agency said in a press statement that the boat carrying 250 Ethiopian migrants, including 155 men, 95 women and 82 children, arrived in Yemen's southeastern Shabwah governorate on Tuesday after departing from Bossaso, Somalia. It said that what was planned as a 24-hour journey stretched into seven days when the vessel's engine failed approximately 100 nautical miles into the voyage, forcing passengers to rely on wind and manual paddling. IOM's Mobile Medical Team responded immediately upon the boat's arrival, providing survivors with water, food and medical assistance to treat hunger, dehydration and exposure to extreme weather conditions. Several individuals requiring urgent care were transferred to a nearby medical clinic, where they received treatment and were later discharged in stable condition. Meanwhile, the death toll from a smuggling boat sinking off the southern coast of Yemen's Abyan governorate has climbed to 92, with search operations ongoing for those still missing, a local health official told Xinhua on Wednesday. "The death toll has reached 92 so far," said Abdul Qader Bajamil, director of the health office in Abyan. "These were all migrants who drowned while trying to enter the country illegally by sea." He said the bodies were recovered from multiple coastal areas in Abyan. "We are still searching for more victims who might have been washed away or are trapped underwater," he added. The tragedy in Abyan unfolded Saturday night when the smuggling boat carrying around 200 African migrants overturned at around 11:00 p.m. local time (2000 GMT) due to strong winds. IOM officials warned that such tragedies would continue as vulnerable migrants undertake increasingly dangerous journeys along the Eastern Route, which connects the Horn of Africa to Yemen and onward to Gulf states. Yemen, despite facing its own humanitarian crisis due to ongoing conflict, continues to serve as a transit point for migrants seeking economic opportunities in Gulf countries.
Canada News.Net
04-08-2025
- General
- Canada News.Net
At least 68 migrants die after boat sinks off Yemen coast
Aden [Yemen], August 8 (ANI): The death toll from a migrant boat capsizing off Yemen's coast has risen to 68, with 74 others still missing, local officials have been cited as per several media reports. Xinhua news agency stated that the search and rescue operations continued amid rough seas, local officials said on Sunday. The boat with dozens of migrants, mostly from Ethiopia, sank off the coast of Abyan province in southern Yemen at dawn due to bad weather conditions, a security source told the Anadolu news agency. Rescue teams have recovered 68 bodies throughout the day along the coastline of southern Abyan province, while 12 survivors were pulled from the water earlier in the morning, according to Abdul Qader Bajamil, director of the health office in Abyan province, as cited by Xinhua. The survivors were immediately transferred to Shaqra General Hospital for emergency medical treatment. Reports said some of the survivors remain in critical condition due to prolonged exposure to seawater and exhaustion. The tragedy occurred Saturday night when a smuggling boat carrying 154 Ethiopian migrants capsized around 11 pm (local time) due to severe weather conditions and strong winds in the waters off Abyan province. On Sunday, Abyan police said in a statement that rescue teams were conducting a large-scale humanitarian operation to recover the bodies, adding that the migrants attempted to reach Yemen and subsequently to Gulf countries via a smuggling boat from the Horn of Africa. According to the Yemen Window news agency, cited by Anadolu, the bodies of 25 Ethiopian migrants were retrieved from the shores of Shaqra and Zinjibar cities. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), more than 60,000 illegal migrants have arrived in Yemen in 2024 alone. Many migrants from the Horn of Africa set off on perilous journeys to Yemen, driven by the hope of reaching other countries in search of a better life. But along the way, they fall prey to exploitation, violence and human trafficking, the UN agency said. (ANI)
India.com
04-08-2025
- Climate
- India.com
Journey Ends In Disaster: Migrant Boat Capsizing Off Yemen Leaves 68 Dead, 74 Still Missing
Rescue teams have recovered 68 bodies throughout the day along the coastline of southern Abyan province, while 12 survivors were pulled from the water earlier in the morning, according to Abdul Qader Bajamil, director of the health office in Abyan province. The survivors were immediately transferred to Shaqra General Hospital for emergency medical treatment. Medical staff report that some of the survivors remain in critical condition due to prolonged exposure to seawater and exhaustion, Xinhua news agency reported. The tragedy occurred Saturday night when a smuggling boat carrying 154 Ethiopian migrants capsized around 11:00 p.m. local time (2000 GMT) due to severe weather conditions and strong winds in the waters off Abyan province. The Abyan security authorities confirmed that all victims and survivors are of Ethiopian nationality, part of the continuous flow of African migrants attempting to reach Yemen and subsequently travel to Gulf countries in search of better economic opportunities. Bodies have been discovered scattered across different coastal areas, prompting authorities to expand their search operations and deploy additional rescue teams. Health officials are coordinating with local authorities to arrange proper burial procedures for the recovered victims in designated areas near Zinjibar, the provincial capital. The incident highlights the ongoing perils faced by African migrants who continue to risk dangerous sea crossings despite Yemen's protracted conflict and severe humanitarian crisis. The United Nations has repeatedly characterized Yemen's situation as one of the world's worst humanitarian disasters. Local Yemeni security officials have renewed calls for urgent international intervention to address the root causes of irregular migration and strengthen maritime safety measures in Yemeni territorial waters. "This tragedy underscores the need for regional cooperation to prevent such loss of life and address the underlying factors driving these dangerous journeys," an official of the Abyan security department told Xinhua on condition of anonymity. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and other humanitarian agencies started to send their teams to provide support for ongoing rescue operations and assistance to survivors, according to the Yemeni officials. Weather conditions in the area remain challenging, with maritime authorities warning of continued rough seas that could hamper search efforts.
Qatar Tribune
03-08-2025
- General
- Qatar Tribune
68 refugees and migrants die as boat sinks off Yemeni coast
At least 68 African refugees and migrants have died and 74 others remain missing after a boat capsized off the coast of Yemen, according to the United Nations migration agency. Abdusattor Esoev, head of the UN's International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Yemen, told The Associated Press news agency on Sunday that the boat, with 154 Ethiopians aboard, capsized off Yemen's province of Abyan. Twelve people survived the shipwreck, he said, adding that the bodies of 54 refugees and migrants washed ashore in the district of Khanfar and 14 others were found dead at a different location and taken to a hospital morgue. Yemeni health authorities earlier said that 54 people had died. Abdul Qader Bajamil, director of the health office in Zanzibar, said that authorities were making arrangements to bury the victims near the city of Shaqra, while search opportunities continued amid difficult conditions. The waterways between Yemen and the Horn of Africa are a common but perilous route for refugees and migrants travelling in both directions. The area saw a spike in Yemenis fleeing the country after the civil war broke out in 2014. Houthi rebels and government forces reached a truce deal in April 2022 that has resulted in a decrease in violence and the slight easing of the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Yemen. Meanwhile, some of those fleeing conflict in Africa, particularly in Somalia and Ethiopia, have sought refuge in Yemen or have sought to travel through the country to the more prosperous Gulf countries. The route remains one of the 'busiest and most perilous' migration routes in the world, according to the IOM. To reach Yemen, people are taken by smugglers on often dangerous, overcrowded boats across the Red Sea or the Gulf of Aden. According to the IOM, more than 60,000 refugees and migrants arrived in Yemen in 2024, marking a significant drop from the previous year's total of 97,200. The decreased numbers come amid increased patrols of the waters, according to an IOM report released in May. This is a deadly route that has killed hundreds over the past two years. According to the IOM, 558 people died along the route last year. Over the past decade, at least 2,082 people have disappeared along the route, including 693 known to have drowned, according to the IOM. Yemen currently houses around 380,000 refugees and migrants. (Agencies)
Al Jazeera
03-08-2025
- General
- Al Jazeera
More than 50 refugees and migrants die in boat sinking off Yemeni coast
At least 54 African refugees and migrants have died and dozens remain missing after a boat capsized off the coast of Yemen, according to Health authorities in Abyan Governorate in the south of the country. Abdul Qader Bajamil, director of the health office in Zanzibar, said ion Sunday that rescue teams had recovered 54 bodies from the beaches there and surrounding areas, while 12 survivors were transferred to Shaqra Hospital. The boat carrying approximately 150 people, mostly from Ethiopia, capsized in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Shaqra, in the Abyan Governorate, due to strong winds on Saturday evening. Bajamil noted that authorities were making arrangements to bury the victims in an area near the city, while search operations continued amid difficult conditions. The waterways between Yemen and the Horn of Africa are a common but perilous route for refugees and migrants travelling in both directions. The area saw a spike in Yemenis fleeing the country after the civil war broke out in 2014. Houthi rebels and government forces reached a truce deal in April 2022 that has resulted in a decrease in violence and the slight easing of the ongoing humanitarian crisis. Meanwhile, some of those fleeing conflict in Africa, particularly in Somalia and Ethiopia, have sought refuge in Yemen or have sought to travel through the country to the more prosperous Gulf countries. The route remains one of the 'busiest and most perilous' migration routes in the world, according to the United Nations' International Organization for Migration (IOM). To reach Yemen, people are taken by smugglers on often dangerous, overcrowded boats across the Red Sea or Gulf of Aden. According to IOM), more than 60,000 refugees and migrants arrived in Yemen in 2024 alone, marking a significant drop from the previous year of 97,200. The decreased numbers comes amid increased patrols of the waters, according to an IOM report released in May. This is a deadly route that has killed hundreds over the past two years. According to the IOM, 558 people died along the route last year. Over the past decade, at least 2,082 people have disappeared along the route, including 693 known to have drowned, according to the IOM. Yemen currently houses around 380,000 refugees and migrants.
