Over 48 Migrants Dead, 140 Missing Off Yemen Coast — IOM

Emmanuel EjioforJune 12, 20241 Mins read713

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Not less than 49 migrants were reported dead, with 140 others missing after a boat capsised off the coast of Yemen, according to the United Nations Migration Agency on Tuesday.

The boat, carrying 260 migrants from Somalia and Ethiopia, departed from Somalia and capsised near Alghareef Point in Yemen’s Shabwah governorate on Monday.

In a statement, the International Organisation of Migration (IOM) reported that among the dead were 31 women and six children. Initially, a Yemeni official reported at least 38 deaths.

A spokesperson for IOM, Mohammedali Abunajela, said: “This recent tragedy is another reminder of the urgent need to work together to address urgent migration challenges and ensure the safety and security of migrants along migration routes.”

The IOM tracks migrant deaths and disappearances and has recorded 1,860 fatalities along the route from East Africa and the Horn of Africa to Gulf countries since 2014. Nearly 500 of these deaths were due to drowning.

According to IOM, the route from East Africa to the Gulf countries is one of the world’s busiest and most dangerous.

“Often relying on smugglers to navigate the journey, migrants are frequently at an increased risk, including human trafficking, during the perilous boat journey to Yemen’s shore,” IOM stated.

According to the United Nations, 97,000 migrants arrived in Yemen from the Horn of Africa last year.