In the most recent tragedy on the dangerous migration route, a migrant boat off the coast of Yemen sank, killing at least 13 people and left 14 more missing, a UN agency reported on Sunday.
“Thirteen people have tragically lost their lives and 14 others remain missing after a migrant boat capsized off the coast of Yemen’s Taez governorate on Tuesday,” the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said.
The UN agency said that the ship had left Djibouti with two Yemeni nationals and twenty-five Ethiopian migrants on board.
Search efforts are still underway to find the missing, including the Yemeni captain and his assistant, but so far eleven men and two women have been ruled out.
It stated that it is still unknown what caused the shipwreck.
“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.
Every year, tens of thousands of migrants leave the Horn of Africa in an attempt to reach the oil-rich Gulf by sailing across the Red Sea. They may be fleeing conflict, natural disasters, or unfavorable economic circumstances.
Over 97,200 migrants arrived in Yemen in 2023, according to the IOM, exceeding the figures from the year before.
The most recent shipwreck comes after many fatal occurrences that occurred off the coast of Yemen in June and July.
When migrants do make it to Yemen, the poorest nation in the Arabian Peninsula has been embroiled in a civil conflict for almost ten years, which frequently presents new challenges to their safety.
Many are attempting to travel to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Arab nations in search of employment as domestic helpers or laborers.
