At Least 54 Migrants Dead After Boat Sinks Off Yemen Coast

At least 54 migrants have died and dozens remain missing after a boat carrying around 150 people capsized in rough weather off Yemen’s southern coast on Sunday, according to health and security officials.

Boat Sinks Off Yemen Coast

The incident occurred off the Ahwar district in Abyan province, along the Arabian Sea. Local health official Abdul Qadir Bajameel confirmed that only 10 survivors have been rescued so far, nine Ethiopians and one Yemeni. Rescue teams continue to search for additional survivors.

Security sources said that the boat was overcrowded and likely travelling in unsafe conditions amid poor weather. 

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Yemen remains a major transit hub for migrants from the Horn of Africa, despite the country’s ongoing conflict and humanitarian crisis. Most are attempting to reach Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states, often travelling across the Bab al-Mandab strait in overcrowded, unseaworthy vessels.

The IOM describes the Horn of Africa–Yemen route as “one of the world’s busiest and most perilous mixed migration routes”, with over 60,000 migrants arriving in Yemen in 2023 alone. Search and recovery efforts are ongoing, but officials anticipate the death toll could rise further. (With Reuters Inputs)