At Least 68 African Migrants Dead, 74 Missing After Boat Capsizes Off Yemen Coast

At least 68 African migrants have died and 74 more remain missing after a boat carrying over 150 people capsized off the coast of southern Yemen on Sunday, the United Nations migration agency said.

The vessel, which was carrying 154 Ethiopian nationals, sank in the Gulf of Aden near Yemen’s Abyan province, according to Abdusattor Esoev, head of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Yemen, as reported by the Associated Press.

Of the total, 54 bodies washed ashore in Khanfar district, while 14 others were recovered and taken to a morgue in Zinjibar, the provincial capital of Abyan. Only 12 people are confirmed to have survived, while the remaining 74 are still missing and presumed dead.

In response to the disaster, the Abyan security directorate launched a large-scale search and rescue operation. Authorities described a grim scene, with bodies found scattered along a wide stretch of coastline.

This latest tragedy adds to a growing list of deadly incidents involving migrants in the region. In March, four boats carrying migrants capsized off the coasts of Yemen and Djibouti, leading to two confirmed deaths and 186 missing.

According to IOM data, over 60,000 migrants arrived in Yemen in 2024 — a significant drop from the 97,200 who arrived in 2023, likely due to increased patrolling in regional waters.

Despite Yemen’s ongoing civil war, the country remains a major transit route for migrants from East Africa and the Horn of Africa trying to reach Gulf Arab nations for work. Most rely on human smugglers and overcrowded, unsafe boats, often with tragic consequences.