At least 68 migrants have died after a boat carrying approximately 157 people capsized in rough seas off the southern coast of Yemen, authorities and humanitarian agencies confirmed on Monday.
The vessel sank on Sunday off the coast of Abyan province, according to Abdusattor Esoev, the Yemen chief of the International Organization for Migration (IOM). He told the BBC that only 12 survivors have been rescued so far, with dozens more still unaccounted for. The majority of those on board are believed to be Ethiopian nationals.
The tragedy marks the latest in a series of deadly incidents on the perilous migration route from the Horn of Africa to the Gulf states. Yemen remains a major transit point for migrants—particularly from Ethiopia, Somalia, Djibouti, and Eritrea—hoping to reach Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries in search of better economic opportunities.
Local security officials in Abyan said a large-scale search-and-rescue operation was underway along the coastline, where many of the bodies have already been recovered.
“This was a dangerous route used frequently by smugglers,” Esoev said, stressing the urgent need for stronger legal protections for migrants. “What we are advocating for all member states is to enhance regular pathways so people can migrate legally, rather than being deceived or trapped by smugglers and forced onto these dangerous journeys.”
The IOM has long described the route from the Horn of Africa to Yemen as one of the world’s busiest—and most dangerous—migration corridors. In recent months, hundreds have reportedly died or gone missing in similar shipwrecks. In March, two boats carrying over 180 migrants sank off Yemen’s Dhubab district during stormy weather, with only two crew members rescued.
According to recent IOM reports, smugglers have become increasingly reckless, sometimes deliberately setting out in unsafe weather to avoid detection by patrols. Migrants arriving at IOM-supported Migrant Response Points in Yemen have confirmed such accounts.
Despite the dangers, the flow of migrants continues. More than 60,000 people have arrived in Yemen in 2024 alone, according to the IOM.
Over the past decade, the IOM’s Missing Migrants Project has recorded more than 3,400 deaths and disappearances along this migration route, with at least 1,400 caused by drowning.
The humanitarian crisis is compounded by Yemen’s ongoing civil war, which has devastated the country for more than a decade. The conflict—primarily between government forces and the Iran-backed Houthi rebels—has left the country fragmented and lawless in many regions, exacerbating the dangers faced by vulnerable migrant populations.
As the death toll rises, international agencies are renewing calls for stronger migration policies, safer routes, and increased accountability for human smugglers profiting from the desperation of thousands fleeing poverty and instability in the Horn of Africa.
