Suche
Mein Konto
Over 60 African migrants dead or missing in boat accident off Yemen
More than 60 African migrants have died after a boat capsized off the coast of Yemen and dozens are missing. The UN report sheds light on the dangerous escape routes to Arabia.
Over 60 African migrants dead or missing in boat accident off Yemen
CAIRO (AP) — A boat capsized off the coast of Yemen on Sunday, leaving 68 African migrants dead and 74 others missing. This was reported by the UN Migration Agency. The tragedy is the latest in a series of shipping accidents off Yemen that have already claimed the lives of hundreds of African migrants fleeing conflict and poverty while hoping to find a new life in wealthy Arab Gulf states.
Details about the shipwreck
The ship carrying 154 Ethiopian migrants sank in the Gulf of Aden off the southern Yemeni province of Abyan. Abdusattor Esoev, the head of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Yemen, told the AP news agency that the bodies of 54 migrants washed up on the coast of Khanfar district. Another 14 were found dead and taken to hospital morgues in Zinjibar, the provincial capital of Abyan.
Survivors and search operations
Only 12 migrants survived the disaster, while the rest are missing and presumed dead, Esoev reported. In a statement, the Abyan Security Directorate described a comprehensive search and rescue operation carried out due to the high number of dead and missing. It was reported that numerous bodies were found scattered over a large coastal area.
The dangers of migration
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 Arab Gulf states to find work. Migrants are often transported by smugglers on dangerous, overcrowded boats across the Red Sea or the Gulf of Aden. In recent months, hundreds of migrants have died or gone missing in ship accidents off Yemen. In March, two migrants died while 186 others went missing after four boats capsized off Yemen and Djibouti, the IOM said.
Development of migration numbers
More than 60,000 migrants arrived in Yemen in 2024, down from 97,200 in 2023, likely due to increased patrols of the waters, according to an IOM report in March.