Tragedy Strikes as Over 50 Migrants Perish in Yemen Boat Capsize

A devastating incident underscores the urgent need for enhanced protections for vulnerable migrants.

In a harrowing incident reported Sunday, over 50 migrants lost their lives when a vessel transporting roughly 150 individuals capsized in the treacherous waters of the Gulf of Aden, off Yemen’s southern Abyan province. Local authorities confirmed that the challenging weather conditions played a crucial role in the disaster, which left only 10 survivors and many individuals unaccounted for. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has identified many of the deceased as Ethiopian nationals, expressing deep sorrow over the incident.

Reports indicate that the bodies of 54 migrants were discovered on the coastline in Khanfar, with an additional 14 transported to a hospital morgue in the provincial capital, Zinjibar. The Abyan security directorate announced a large-scale search and rescue mission, where further bodies were located across an extensive area of the beachfront.

The IOM has described this incident as "heartbreaking" and emphasized the need for improved protective measures for migrants, who too frequently embark on hazardous journeys that are often facilitated by exploitative smugglers. The agency noted that the perilous route from the Horn of Africa to Yemen remains one of the busiest migration paths, with hundreds reported missing or dead in various maritime incidents recently.

In a similar occurrence earlier this year, two vessels carrying over 180 migrants capsized off Yemen’s Dhubab district, resulting in only two crew members being rescued. Reports from Migrant Response Points indicate that smugglers have increasingly ignored hazardous conditions to avoid patrols, endangering lives in the process. Despite the considerable risks, more than 60,000 migrants have arrived in Yemen in 2024, according to IOM statistics. The organization’s Missing Migrants Project has recorded over 3,400 deaths along this perilous route in the last decade, with 1,400 of those fatalities due to drowning.