At least 49 people have died and 140 are missing after a boat carrying migrants capsized off the coast of Yemen, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) announced.
The vessel, which was carrying 260 migrants, capsized on Monday near Shabwah province, IOM said in a statement.
It is added that 31 women and six children were among the dead.
“This recent tragedy is another reminder of the urgent need to work together to address urgent migration challenges and ensure the safety of migrants along migration routes,” said IOM spokesperson Mohammedali Abunajela.
According to the survivors, the ship left Bossas in Somalia around three o’clock in the morning on Sunday, carrying 115 Somali citizens and 145 Ethiopians, including 90 women.
Search and rescue operations are continuing, the UN agency said.
The route between the Eastern Horn of Africa and Yemen is one of the busiest and most demanding migration routes in the world, carrying hundreds of thousands of migrants, the IOM said, adding that most of these people make irregular journeys, often relying on smugglers and facing increased risks.
Despite Yemen’s civil war, the number of migrants arriving annually has tripled from 2021 to 2023, from around 27,000 to more than 90,000, the IOM said last month.
Photo: Arise news
