At least 68 people have been killed after a migrant boat capsized close to the Yemen coast on Sunday. The vessel sank off the coast of Abyan province amid bad weather conditions, with more than 150 people on board. Local authorities have launched rescue efforts and around 74 people remain missing.
Rescue efforts underway
According to a Xinhua update quoting officials, rescue teams recovered 68 bodies throughout the day along the coastline of southern Abyan province. They also pulled 12 survivors from the water earlier in the morning. The death toll has now risen to 68 with another 74 still missing.
The survivors were immediately transferred to Shaqra General Hospital for emergency medical treatment. Reports said some of the survivors remain in critical condition due to prolonged exposure to seawater and exhaustion.
Local authorities confirmed that rescue teams were conducting a large-scale humanitarian operation to recover the bodies. According to the Yemen Window news agency, cited by Anadolu, the bodies of 25 Ethiopian migrants were retrieved from the shores of Shaqra and Zinjibar cities.
Dozens of migrants from Ethiopia
The vessel had been carrying dozens of migrants — mostly from Ethiopia — when the incident took place around 11 pm (local time) due to severe weather conditions and strong winds in the waters off Abyan province. According to a statement from the police, they had attempted to reach Yemen and subsequently to Gulf countries via a smuggling boat from the Horn of Africa.
Data from the International Organization for Migration suggests that more than 60,000 illegal migrants have arrived in Yemen in 2024 alone. Many migrants from the Horn of Africa set off on perilous journeys to the country in the hope of reaching distant lands for a better life. The UN agency however warned that many of these migrants fell prey to exploitation, violence and human trafficking along the way.
(With inputs from agencies)