At least 68 Ethiopian migrants died after a boat carrying 154 people sank off Yemen’s southern coast in the Gulf of Aden on Sunday, local health officials and international agencies confirmed.
Another 74 people remain missing, while only 10 survivors, nine Ethiopians and one Yemeni, have been rescued so far.
The vessel capsized in rough weather near the Ahwar district in Abyan province, according to security sources. Rescue teams searched through the night for any remaining survivors.
Abdul Qadir Bajameel, a provincial health official, said the boat had been attempting to transport migrants to Gulf countries, where many hope to find work.
The passengers were believed to be primarily from Ethiopia, making the dangerous sea journey across the Bab al-Mandab strait, which separates Djibouti and Eritrea from Yemen.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) called the incident a tragic reminder of the dangers faced by migrants along this route, describing the passage from the Horn of Africa to Yemen as “one of the world’s busiest and most perilous mixed migration routes.”
Despite years of conflict in Yemen, the country continues to serve as a major transit point for thousands of irregular migrants seeking to reach Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states.
According to the IOM, more than 60,000 migrants arrived in Yemen last year alone, many travelling in overcrowded and unseaworthy boats.
Local authorities said rescue efforts have been hampered by poor weather and limited resources, as the search for the missing continues.
