At least 68 people died and 74 remain missing after a boat with migrants capsized off the coast of southern Yemen, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) announced today, quoted by DPA, BTA reported.
The vessel carrying more than 150 people, mostly Ethiopians, sank east of the port city of Aden.
The IOM did not say where the boat had left from, but most Ethiopian migrants usually pass through Djibouti before heading to Yemen via smuggling routes, DPA noted.
Survivors who reach the Yemeni coast often continue on foot, heading north to the Saudi Arabian border. border.
IOM described the incident as "shocking" and highlighted the urgent need for safer migration routes and better protection for those attempting the journey.
"Every loss of life highlights the human cost of irregular migration," the agency said.
Since the beginning of 2025, IOM has recorded more than 350 deaths and disappearances of migrants along this route, a figure the organization believes is significantly underestimated.
In 2024 alone, IOM counted more than 60,000 migrants attempting to reach Yemen by boat. Over the past decade, over 3,400 people are known to have died on this route, including 1,400 who drowned.
Tens of thousands are believed to remain stranded in Yemen in harsh and often life-threatening conditions.