SANAA: At least 13 people have been killed and 14 others are missing after their boat sank off the coast of Yemen, the United Nations migration agency reported on Sunday.
“A migrant boat capsized off the coast of Yemen’s Taiz governorate on Tuesday,” the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said.
It said the boat, which left Djibouti with 25 Ethiopians and two Yemeni nationals on board, sank near Dubab district in Bani al-Hakam subdistrict.
Eleven men and two women were among those killed while the search operation continues to find the missing, including the captain of Yemeni origin and his assistant, said the IOM. It noted that the cause of the boat sinking remains unclear.
“This latest tragedy is a stark reminder of the perils faced by migrants on this route,” said Matt Huber, the acting chief of IOM’s mission in Yemen.
Tuesday’s capsizing follows similar incidents in June and July, the IOM said. The UN agency said it is yet another shocking reminder of the extreme dangers of this migration route and the dependency on smuggling networks.
Migrants are often pushed into dangerous conditions by smugglers as they attempt to flee desperate circumstances. Tens of thousands of refugees and migrants flee the Horn of Africa, with the aim of escaping conflict, natural disasters or poor economic prospects.
The IOM registered more than 97,200 arrivals in Yemen in 2023, surpassing last year’s numbers. People who do reach Yemen often encounter more threats to their safety. Many are trying to reach Gulf countries for employment as labourers or domestic workers.
