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The tragedy was the latest in a series of shipwrecks off Yemen
that have killed hundreds of African migrants fleeing conflict
and poverty in hopes of reaching the wealthy Gulf Arab
countries.
The vessel, with 154 Ethiopian migrants on board, sank in the
Gulf of Aden off the southern Yemeni province of Abyan early
Sunday, Abdusattor Esoev, head of the International Organization
for Migration in Yemen told The Associated Press.
He said the bodies of 54 migrants washed ashore in the district
of Khanfar, and 14 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, and the rest were
missing and presumed dead, Esoev said.
In a statement, the Abyan security directorate described a
massive search-and-rescue operation given the large number of
dead and missing migrants. It said many dead bodies were found
scattered across a wide area of the shore.
Despite more than a decade of civil war, Yemen is a major route
for migrants from East Africa and the Horn of Africa trying to
reach the Gulf Arab countries for work. Migrants are taken by
smugglers on often dangerous, overcrowded boats across the Red
Sea or Gulf of Aden.
Hundreds of migrants have died or gone missing in shipwrecks off
Yemen in recent months, including in March when two migrants
died and 186 others were missing after four boats capsized off
Yemen and Djibouti, according to the IOM.
More than 60,000 migrants arrived in Yemen in 2024, down from
97,200 in 2023, probably because of greater patrolling of the
waters, according to an IOM report in March.
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