Death Toll rises to 49, 140 Missing As Migrant Boat Sinks Off Yemen

The death toll from migrants ship that sunk from the Horn of Africa to Yemen has increased to 49 while 140 more are missing according to the United Nations’ International Organization for Migration (IOM).

The vessel that capsized on Monday was carrying some 260 people, mostly from Ethiopia and Somalia, who had set off from the northern coast of Somalia to travel 320km (200 miles) across the Gulf of Aden to reach Yemen.

Refugees and migrants from the Horn of Africa and East Africa are increasingly risking the perilous journey to Saudi Arabia and other Arab states in the region via Yemen.

In a statement on Tuesday, the IOM reported that 71 people had been rescued, with eight taken to the hospital. Among the dead were at least six children and 31 women.

In April, two shipwrecks off the coast of Djibouti resulted in at least 62 deaths as people attempted to reach Yemen. According to the IOM, at least 1,860 people have died or gone missing on this route, including 480 who drowned.

For months, the Iran-aligned Houthis have been attacking commercial and military vessels in the Gulf of Aden, demanding that Israel stop the war on Gaza. In response, the United States and the United Kingdom have conducted air raids on Yemen, aiming to protect international interests.

The number of migrants arriving in Yemen annually has tripled from 2021 to 2023, rising from about 27,000 to more than 90,000, the IOM reported last month. The agency also noted that approximately 380,000 migrants are currently in Yemen.

The sinking of the boat on Monday “is another reminder of the urgent need for collaboration inorder to address urgent migration challenges and ensure the safety and security of migrants along migration routes,” said IOM spokesperson Mohammedali Abunajela.

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