A deadly shipwreck off Yemen’s southern coast has claimed at least 68 lives, with dozens more feared lost, after a packed migrant boat carrying mostly Ethiopians capsized in the Gulf of Aden.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) confirmed Monday that only 12 people have been rescued out of the 157 passengers believed to have been on board. “The fate of the missing is still unknown,” said Abdusattor Esoev, IOM’s chief of mission in Yemen.
The disaster unfolded near Abyan province, a well-known landing point for human smuggling routes from the Horn of Africa. Early counts from local officials on Sunday reported 27 dead, but the toll surged overnight as recovery teams pulled more bodies from the sea. Search operations continue, though hopes for finding survivors are fading.
Despite being mired in an 11-year civil war, Yemen remains a critical transit hub for migrants—most from Ethiopia—seeking work in the oil-rich Gulf states. Many take the Eastern Route, a treacherous crossing from Djibouti or Somalia to Yemen, braving rough seas, overcrowded boats, and ruthless smugglers.
The IOM warns that thousands attempt the voyage every year, often facing abuse before even reaching shore. Just last month, at least eight migrants drowned after smugglers forced them overboard mid-journey.
The UN agency recorded at least 558 deaths along the Red Sea migration route in 2024—462 from shipwrecks. Many more go uncounted due to the remote nature of the crossings and the near-total absence of coordinated search-and-rescue operations.
For those who survive the sea, the ordeal is far from over. In Yemen, migrants are often stranded without resources, vulnerable to forced labor, extortion, and violent abuse at the hands of traffickers or armed groups.
The coastal waters of Abyan province have long been a graveyard for migrant boats. The region’s instability—marked by fighting between government forces, separatists, and extremist groups—makes it a fertile ground for smuggling networks that operate with near impunity.
Local authorities say divers and coast guard crews are still working to recover a “significant” number of bodies from Sunday’s wreck, warning that the final death toll could be far higher.
