At least 68 African migrants dead, dozens missing after boat capsizes off Yemen’s coast

A boat carrying African migrants capsized off Yemen’s southern coast, killing at least 68 people and leaving 74 others missing, according to authorities.

The vessel was carrying 154 Ethiopian migrants across the Gulf of Aden when it sank near the province of Abyan in southern Yemen on Sunday.

Abdusattor Esoev, head of the IOM in Yemen, told the Associated Press that 54 bodies were recovered from the shores of Khanfar district, while another 14 were taken to a hospital morgue in the city of Zinjibar. Only 12 people survived, and the rest are presumed dead.

The migrants were reportedly attempting to reach Yemen as part of a larger and often perilous journey toward Gulf states, where many seek economic opportunities or safety from conflict.

The Gulf of Aden is a well-known but dangerous migration route used by thousands of migrants from the Horn of Africa each year. Many are smuggled across the sea in unsafe vessels, often with little oversight or safety equipment, according to the UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM).

The agency has repeatedly warned about the rising death toll along the so-called Eastern Route, which connects Ethiopia and Somalia to Gulf nations via Yemen. In addition to maritime dangers, migrants in Yemen often face detention, abuse, and trafficking, according to the IOM and Human Rights Watch.