At least 76 people have lost their lives and dozens more remain unaccounted for after a vessel carrying African migrants sank off Yemen’s southern coast, authorities confirmed on Monday.
According to Yemeni security officials, the boat capsized in the Gulf of Aden near Abyan governorate a known landing point for migrant boats coming from the Horn of Africa. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said the vessel was carrying 157 people, primarily Ethiopian nationals.
Rescue operations recovered 76 bodies, while 32 survivors were brought ashore, some of whom were later transferred to hospitals in Aden, officials said.
“This is another tragic reminder of the risks migrants face on this route,” said Abdusattor Esoev, the IOM’s chief of mission in Yemen. He added that many passengers are still missing, and their fate remains uncertain.
Despite Yemen’s ongoing civil conflict, which has devastated the country since 2014, the country remains a critical passage for migrants many fleeing conflict or economic hardship in Ethiopia who hope to reach oil-rich Gulf nations like Saudi Arabia or the UAE via the so-called “Eastern Route.”
Each year, thousands of migrants attempt the dangerous sea journey across the Bab al-Mandab Strait from Djibouti to Yemen. Last year alone, the IOM recorded over 550 deaths along this route, most of them linked to similar maritime disasters.
Just weeks earlier, at least eight migrants reportedly died when smugglers forced passengers overboard in the Red Sea, a grim tactic that has become increasingly common.
Local authorities in Abyan have launched recovery efforts in the area, where bodies continue to wash ashore. The region has become a hotspot for illegal migration and human smuggling, with migrants often falling victim to trafficking networks or violence upon arrival in Yemen.
Once inside the country, many find themselves stranded or subjected to abuse, exploitation, or detention all against the backdrop of ongoing armed conflict.
In April, more than 60 migrants were reportedly killed in a strike that hit a detention center in northern Yemen, an attack that Houthi authorities blamed on U.S. forces.
The Gulf states continue to host large migrant labor populations from both Africa and South Asia, driving a steady and dangerous flow of people through unstable regions.
