Thirteen dead after migrant boat sinks off Yemen, 14 missing: UN agency

SANAA (AFP): At least 13 people have died when a migrant boat sank off Yemen, also leaving 14 missing, a UN agency said Sunday, in the latest disaster on the perilous migration route.

“Thirteen people have tragically lost their lives and 14 others remain missing after a migrant boat capsized off the coast of Yemen’s Taiz governorate on Tuesday,” the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said.

The vessel had departed from Djibouti carrying 25 Ethiopian migrants and two Yemeni nationals, according to the UN agency.

Eleven men and two women were among those confirmed dead, as search operations continue to locate the missing, including the Yemeni captain and his assistant, the IOM said.

It noted that the cause of the shipwreck 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.

Tens of thousands of migrants set off yearly from the Horn of Africa, seeking to escape conflict, natural disasters or poor economic prospects and sailing across the Red Sea in a bid to reach the oil-rich Gulf.

The IOM recorded over 97,200 migrant arrivals in Yemen in 2023, surpassing the previous year’s numbers.

The latest shipwreck follows similar incidents off Yemen in June and July that left dozens dead.

Migrants who do reach Yemen often encounter further threats to their safety, as the Arabian Peninsula’s poorest country has been mired in civil war for nearly a decade.