SANAA — At least 68 African migrants and refugees drowned and 74 remain missing after a boat capsized off the coast of Yemen, the United Nations migration agency said. The dead and missing are believed to be African nationals.
The International Organization for Migration reported the disaster Sunday, Aug. 3, according to Al Jazeera. Abdusattar Esoev, head of the agency’s Yemen mission, told the Associated Press the boat was carrying 154 Ethiopians and sank off the coast of Yemen’s Abyan province.
Twelve people have been rescued alive, he said. Fifty-four bodies were recovered in Khanfar district and another 14 in nearby areas and taken to hospitals.
Yemen’s Health Ministry initially reported at least 54 dead, but IOM later confirmed the toll had risen to 68, with 74 still missing.
Abdul Qader Bajamil, director of the Health Department in Zinjibar, said preparations were underway near the Shaqra area of the town to bury the dead. Rescue operations were continuing despite severe weather, he said.
Analysts said the sea route between the Horn of Africa and Yemen is highly popular among migrants but extremely dangerous. After civil war broke out in Yemen in 2014, the route to wealthy Middle Eastern countries via the country has grown more common.
According to IOM, more than 60,000 migrants have reached Yemen since 2024, well below the 97,200 recorded the previous year.
IOM also said 558 people died on the route in 2023, and at least 2,082 went missing over the past decade, of whom 693 are confirmed drowned. About 380,000 refugees and migrants are currently in Yemen.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report