At least 68 Ethiopian migrants have died and 74 remain missing after an overcrowded boat capsized off Yemen’s southern coast, underscoring the deadly risks along one of the world’s most perilous migration routes, the UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) confirmed.
The vessel, carrying 154 Ethiopian nationals, departed from Somalia and sank early Sunday (3 August) off Abyan province, out of whom only 12 migrants have reportedly survived. Authorities have recovered dozens of bodies along the Khanfar coastline, while search efforts continue for the missing. Despite Yemen’s ongoing civil war and humanitarian crisis, the country remains a key transit point for migrants from the Horn of Africa seeking better lives in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations. An estimated 60,000 migrants entered Yemen in 2024 alone, according to the IOM.
The so-called ‘eastern route’ — linking the Horn of Africa to the Gulf via Yemen — is now ranked the fourth deadliest migration corridor globally, with over 2,100 deaths and disappearances recorded since 2014. The route leading from the Horn of Africa to Yemen is “one of the world’s busiest and most perilous mixed migration routes,” according to an IOM report published in March. Migrants face overcrowded boats, human traffickers, and armed groups along the way. Driven by poverty, conflict, and food insecurity worsened by climate change, thousands continue to risk the journey. Experts warn that unless root causes are addressed and protection mechanisms strengthened, tragedies like this will remain all too common. The IOM is calling for urgent regional cooperation to prevent further loss of life.