A tragic incident occurred off Yemen’s coast where a boat carrying 260 migrants sank, resulting in at least 49 deaths and 140 individuals missing, as reported by the United Nations’ International Organisation for Migration (IOM) on Tuesday.
Seventy-one survivors were found, with most needing minor care and eight requiring hospital treatment. Among the survivors were six children, while the deceased included six children and 31 women. The IOM emphasized the ongoing search and rescue missions, although these efforts were hindered by a shortage of patrol boats, exacerbated by the current conflict in the region.
The boat’s passengers included 115 Somali nationals and 145 Ethiopians. This tragic event highlights the perilous journey that tens of thousands of migrants from the Horn of Africa undertake annually, aiming to reach the Gulf’s oil-rich regions to escape conflict, natural disasters, and economic hardships.
The treacherous voyage across the Red Sea is fraught with danger, and this incident is a stark reminder of the risks involved.
A boat carrying 260 migrants sank off Yemen’s coast, causing 49 deaths and 140 missing.
Similarly, the IOM pointed to earlier tragedies, including the sinking of two boats off Djibouti in April, which led to numerous deaths. Since 2014, the organization has recorded 1,350 fatalities along this migration route, not counting this year’s figures.
In 2023 alone, the IOM reported at least 698 deaths, with 105 people lost at sea. Despite the significant risks, migrants persist in undertaking these dangerous journeys in search of better opportunities.
The IOM is actively providing immediate aid to the survivors of the latest sinking. However, migrants who reach Yemen face additional threats to their safety due to the country’s ongoing civil war, which has been raging for a decade. Many of these migrants aim to continue their journey to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries, where they hope to find work as laborers or domestic workers despite the hazardous conditions.
Human Rights Watch has accused Saudi border guards of killing “at least hundreds” of Ethiopian migrants attempting to cross from Yemen into Saudi Arabia between March 2022 and June 2023, with some incidents involving explosive weapons. Saudi Arabia has rejected these claims as unfounded.
The IOM noted a significant increase in the number of migrants arriving in Yemen, tripling from approximately 27,000 in 2021 to over 90,000 in 2023, despite the numerous dangers associated with the migration route.
