On Sunday (August 3), international immigration organization officials stationed in Yemen reported that a boat carrying 154 African immigrants sank earlier in the day in the southern waters of Yemen, resulting in the deaths of 68 people, with 74 others still missing.
According to various media reports, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) stated that this tragedy is the latest in a series of recent migrant boat accidents in the waters off Yemen.
Abdusattor Esoev, head of the IOM mission in Yemen, stated that the boat, carrying 154 Ethiopian immigrants, capsized off the coast of Abyan province in southern Yemen early Sunday morning.
He mentioned that 54 bodies washed ashore in the Khanfar area, while another 14 bodies were found and taken to a hospital morgue in the provincial capital of Zinjibar.
Esoev said that earlier in the day, rescue teams managed to save only 12 survivors, who were rushed to a hospital for emergency treatment. Some survivors are still in critical condition due to prolonged exposure to seawater and extreme fatigue, with slim hopes of survival for the 74 missing persons.
The security department of Abyan province stated in a press release that due to the high number of casualties and missing persons, local law enforcement agencies have expanded the search area and deployed more rescue forces.
A Yemeni government official revealed that IOM and other humanitarian agencies have dispatched teams to participate in ongoing search and rescue efforts and provide assistance to survivors.
However, the Yemeni maritime department warned that the current sea conditions remain unstable, with poor weather in the area of the incident that may impede rescue operations.
The International Organization for Migration noted that every year, large numbers of illegal immigrants from the Horn of Africa region (comprising countries such as Ethiopia, Djibouti, Eritrea, Somalia, etc.) attempt to cross the Bab al-Mandab strait from the African continent to Yemen before heading to Saudi Arabia and other wealthy Gulf countries for a better life on rudimentary boats.
IOM described this route from the Horn of Africa to Yemen as “one of the most dangerous and busiest mixed migration routes globally.” According to IOM statistics, over 60,000 African migrants arrived in Yemen just last year, underscoring the humanitarian crisis lurking behind this migration route.
IOM called on countries to enhance cooperation in providing safer migration options for immigrants, while also curbing human trafficking to reduce the recurrence of such tragic events.