At least 68 migrants have died and dozens remain missing after a boat carrying 157 people, mostly Ethiopians, sank off the coast of Yemen’s Abyan province, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has confirmed.
As of Sunday night, only 12 survivors had been rescued, according to Abdusattor Esoev, IOM’s Chief of Mission in Yemen. “The fate of the missing is still unknown,” he said.
Initial reports from local security sources had placed the death toll at 27, but that figure rose sharply as recovery operations continued. Security forces in Abyan are working to retrieve more bodies from the wreckage.
Despite Yemen’s ongoing conflict since 2014, the country remains a major transit hub for migrants—especially from Ethiopia—attempting the perilous journey to Gulf states via the so-called “Eastern Route” across the Red Sea from Djibouti.
The IOM said the sunken vessel was carrying migrants seeking better economic opportunities. The agency warned that thousands of migrants become stranded in Yemen every year, where they face abuse and exploitation.
This tragedy follows a similar incident last month in which eight migrants died after smugglers forced them overboard in the Red Sea. In 2024 alone, IOM recorded at least 558 deaths on the route, with 462 caused by shipwrecks.
