At least 54 migrants dead, dozens missing after boat sinks off Yemen coast

At least 54 migrants have died and dozens remain missing after a boat carrying around 150 people sank off Yemen’s southern coast on August 3, officials said.

The vessel capsised near the Ahwar district in Abyan province amid bad weather, according to local security sources, Caliber.Az reports, citing Reuters.

Only 10 survivors have been rescued so far, including nine Ethiopians and one Yemeni, said Abdul Qadir Bajameel, a provincial health official. Rescue teams continue searching for more survivors.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) warned that Yemen is experiencing a significant increase in irregular migration from Africa. Migrants often cross the dangerous Bab al-Mandab Strait from Djibouti and Eritrea in fragile boats, hoping to reach Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries for work.

The IOM described this route as “one of the world’s busiest and most perilous mixed migration routes,” recording more than 60,000 arrivals in Yemen last year alone.

By Sabina Mammadli