At least 22 migrants have died and 65 others injured after a lorry they were travelling in overturned in Ethiopia’s north-eastern Afar region, officials said.
The accident occurred on Tuesday morning in the town of Semera, where about 85 Ethiopian migrants were travelling along a common migration route, according to Afar official Mohammed Ali Biedo. The lorry reportedly overturned, leaving dozens dead and many critically injured. Biedo said 30 of the injured are in serious condition.
“The accident occurred when a lorry transporting migrants, misled by illegal brokers and unaware of the dangers of their journey, overturned,” he said.
The final destination of the migrants was unclear, but the route typically runs from Ethiopia through Djibouti, across the Red Sea to Yemen, and onward to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states. Yemen remains a major pathway for migrants from the Horn of Africa seeking work in the Middle East.
The Afar regional government said it was carrying out “all necessary life-saving operations” for the injured and warned Ethiopian youths against the dangers of human trafficking. “We will ensure that law enforcement continues with the concerned authorities to prevent such tragic events from repeating,” it said.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has described the Horn of Africa–to–Yemen route as “one of the busiest and most perilous mixed migration routes.” Despite the risks, over 60,000 migrants arrived in Yemen in 2024, many aiming to continue on to Saudi Arabia.
