ADEN – At least 76 people have died and dozens remain missing after a boat carrying mostly Ethiopian migrants capsized off the southern coast of Yemen, officials confirmed on Monday. The tragedy is the latest in a series of deadly incidents along the hazardous sea route used by African migrants seeking passage to Gulf countries.
Yemeni security officials said the vessel sank in the Gulf of Aden, near Abyan province, a common landing point for migrant boats from the Horn of Africa. Authorities reported that 76 bodies had been recovered, while 32 people were rescued. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said the boat was carrying 157 people at the time of the disaster.
Some survivors have been transported to the city of Aden for medical attention and assistance, according to local security sources.
Earlier, the IOM had placed the confirmed death toll at 68, but the number climbed as recovery operations continued. “The fate of the missing is still unknown,” said Abdusattor Esoev, the IOM’s chief of mission in Yemen, speaking to AFP.
Despite Yemen’s ongoing civil war since 2014, the country remains a critical transit hub for irregular migration, particularly from Ethiopia, which itself continues to grapple with internal conflict and instability.
Thousands of migrants each year attempt the dangerous “Eastern Route,” crossing the Red Sea from Djibouti to Yemen, with the ultimate goal of reaching wealthier Gulf states such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
According to IOM data, at least 558 migrants died attempting this route in 2023—462 of them in maritime incidents.
Just last month, at least eight migrants died when smugglers forced them overboard in the Red Sea. Sunday’s tragedy, involving mainly Ethiopian nationals, underscores the ongoing humanitarian crisis along this corridor.
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The security directorate of Abyan confirmed that recovery operations were underway to retrieve what it described as a “significant” number of bodies.
Migrants attempting to reach the Gulf typically pass through the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a narrow but vital passage connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. While key for global maritime trade, it has also become a hotspot for irregular migration and human trafficking.
Once in Yemen—one of the poorest and most unstable countries in the Arab world—migrants often fall victim to abuse, exploitation, and violence. The IOM estimates that tens of thousands of migrants are currently stranded in Yemen under dire conditions.
In April, over 60 migrants were reportedly killed in an airstrike on a detention center in Yemen, an attack blamed on the United States by Houthi rebels, who control large parts of the country.
The Gulf states remain a top destination for African migrants due to labor demand, but the journey continues to be fraught with peril.