Deadly Voyage: 68 Migrants Killed, 74 Missing After Boat Overturns Off Yemen

Tragedy in Gulf of Aden: At Least 68 Ethiopian Migrants Dead, 74 Missing After Boat Capsizes off Yemen.

At least 68 Ethiopian migrants have died and 74 more are missing after an overcrowded boat capsized off the coast of southern Yemen, the United Nations’ migration agency confirmed on Sunday. The vessel, carrying 154 migrants, went down in the Gulf of Aden near Abyan province. According to Abdusattor Esoev, chief of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Yemen, 54 bodies were found along the shores of Khanfar district. Fourteen others were recovered and taken to a morgue in Zinjibar, the provincial capital.

Only 12 people survived the disaster. The rest remain unaccounted for and are presumed dead, prompting a large-scale search and recovery operation by local authorities.

Part of a Deadly Pattern
This is the latest in a string of deadly migrant shipwrecks in the region. In March, four boats sank off the coasts of Yemen and Djibouti, killing at least two and leaving 186 missing. Despite Yemen’s ongoing civil conflict, the country remains a major transit hub for East African migrants attempting to reach Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations. Smugglers often ferry them across the Red Sea or Gulf of Aden in dangerous, overcrowded boats with little regard for safety.

The IOM reported a steep decline in migrant arrivals in Yemen in 2024—around 60,000, down from 97,200 in 2023—likely due to tighter coastal patrols. But the risks for those still attempting the journey remain alarmingly high. The agency reiterated its call for stronger protections for migrants and safer legal pathways to prevent more lives from being lost at sea.