At least 54 migrants drowned when a boat carrying around 150 people capsized off Yemen’s southern coast on Sunday amid bad weather. The vessel sank near the Ahwar district in Abyan province, facing the Arabian Sea, according to Yemeni security sources and health officials.
Provincial health official Abdul Qadir Bajameel confirmed only ten survivors were rescued—nine Ethiopians and one Yemeni—as dozens remain missing. Rescue efforts continued into Monday, with medics saying search teams are still combing the waters for potential survivors.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Yemen remains a key transit hub for African migrants seeking jobs in the Gulf. Each year, thousands cross the Bab al-Mandab strait from Djibouti and Eritrea, risking their lives aboard rickety boats for the promise of better futures.
IOM describes the route from the Horn of Africa to Yemen as among the world’s busiest and deadliest for mixed migration flows. The agency recorded over 60,000 migrant arrivals in Yemen in 2024 alone, with many unaware of the extreme dangers awaiting them.
Sunday’s tragedy highlights the growing desperation and peril faced by migrants navigating lawless seas in search of survival and opportunity. Officials have renewed calls for stronger regional cooperation to address the crisis and ensure safer, regulated pathways for migration.