🇾🇪 Dozens Drown as Migrant Boat Capsizes off Yemen Coast in Stormy Seas

More than 68 bodies have been recovered while dozens remain missing after a boat carrying over 150 migrants—mostly Ethiopians—sank in the turbulent waters off Yemen's southern coast.

Zig Diaries Humanitarian

Date: Monday, 4 August 2025
Time: 15:10 WAT
Location: 📍Abyan, Yemen

Rising migrant deaths in the Gulf of Aden amid smuggler abuse and worsening weather conditions. More than 68 migrants, mostly Ethiopian nationals, have died after a boat capsized in rough seas off the coast of southern Yemen, with dozens still missing in one of the deadliest migrant tragedies this year.

According to the Chief of Mission for the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Yemen, Abdusattor Esoev, the boat was carrying about 157 people when it sank on Sunday near Abyan province. Only 12 survivors have been rescued so far, prompting a large-scale search-and-recovery operation by Yemeni authorities and aid agencies.

Security officials in Abyan confirmed that bodies were washing ashore along a wide stretch of coastline, underscoring the scope of the tragedy.

“This vessel was navigating one of the most dangerous and unregulated maritime routes used by smugglers,” Esoev said. “Migrants are increasingly pushed into riskier conditions as traffickers avoid patrols and chase profits.”

Despite growing risks, tens of thousands of migrants continue to transit through Yemen each year from the Horn of Africa—comprising Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Djibouti—hoping to reach Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations for work. The IOM estimates that over 60,000 migrants have arrived in Yemen in 2024 alone.

The agency warned of worsening smuggler tactics, citing a March incident where two boats sank off Dhubab district, killing most on board. An IOM report noted that traffickers now launch boats in hazardous weather to evade maritime patrols.

Yemen’s ongoing civil war has exacerbated the crisis. With the Iran-backed Houthi rebels controlling much of the northwest since 2014, governance and border control remain fragile—providing traffickers with unchecked maritime access.

In the past decade, the IOM’s Missing Migrants Project has recorded more than 3,400 deaths or disappearances along this route—1,400 due to drowning alone

🏷️ Tags: Yemen, Migration Crisis, IOM, Horn of Africa, Humanitarian Disaster
#Yemen #Migration #HornOfAfrica #IOM #RefugeeCrisis #MigrantDeaths

Source: Based on official statements by IOM Yemen and Abyan security authorities.