At least 13 people died and 14 others are missing after a boat carrying migrants sank off the coast of Yemen this week, the International Organization for Migration said Sunday.
13 people died tragically
The organization said that “13 people died tragically, and 14 others are still missing, after a migrant boat sank off the coast of Taiz Governorate in Yemen, on Tuesday,” noting that the boat was carrying 25 Ethiopian migrants and two Yemenis.
The bodies of the deceased, 11 men and two women, were recovered along the shores of Bab al-Mandab Strait – one of the world’s most important sea routes for global commodity shipments.
🚨 A tragic shipwreck off Yemen has claimed 13 lives, with 14 people still missing.
This disaster is a grim reminder of the urgent need to prevent these migrant tragedies, ensuring better protection for those seeking safety.
đź”— https://t.co/9oa8Z7DxfQ pic.twitter.com/rCI6eBWgiu
— IOM Yemen (@IOM_Yemen) August 25, 2024
Deadly accidents
This incident is the latest in a series of deadly accidents on the so-called “eastern migration route,” where at least 49 migrants died and dozens went missing after a boat carrying more than 200 migrants sank off the coast of Yemen last June.
Last April, two boats sank off the coast of Djibouti within two weeks of each other, killing dozens.
480 drowning
Since 2014, IOM’s Missing Migrants Project has recorded 1,860 deaths and disappearances of migrants along the eastern route from East Africa and the Horn of Africa to the Gulf States, including 480 due to drowning.
Those migrants who successfully reach Yemen often face further risks to their safety, as the poorest country in the Arabian Peninsula has been embroiled in a civil war for nearly a decade.
Many dangers
Last May, the International Organization for Migration IOM said that despite the many dangers of the eastern route, the number of migrants arriving each year in Yemen “tripled between 2021 and 2023, rising from about 27,000 people to more than 90,000.”
The IOM
“[It] is yet another devastating reminder of the extreme dangers of this migration route and the reliance on smuggling networks. Vulnerable migrants are often pushed into perilous conditions by smugglers as they attempt to flee desperate circumstances in search of safety and opportunity in the Gulf states,” the UN agency said.
The IOM recorded more than 97,200 arrivals in Yemen in 2023, surpassing the previous year’s numbers.
Gulf countries
People who do reach Yemen often encounter further threats to their safety, as the Arabian Peninsula’s poorest country has been mired in civil war for nearly a decade.
Many are trying to reach Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries for employment as labourers or domestic workers.
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