Thirteen dead and 14 missing in Yemen migrant shipwreck

Boat capsized in seas southwest of Yemen in latest tragedy involving migrants on perilous route

Ethiopian migrants make their way to a boat in Obock, Djibouti, ready to set sail for Yemen in 2023. AFP

Thirteen people have died and 14 others are missing after a ship carrying migrants capsized off the southwestern coast of Yemen, the UN-affiliated International Organisation for Migration reported on Sunday, the latest in a series of tragedies in the region involving migrant vessels.

The ship tipped over off the coast of Ta’iz governorate on Tuesday carrying 25 Ethiopian migrants and two Yemeni nationals. It eventually sank in the stretch of sea known as Bab Al Mandeb, the UN organisation said. The sea divides Yemen from neighbouring Djibouti in east Africa, where the boat had set sail.

The bodies of 11 men and two women were recovered on nearby shores, while a search operation continued for those missing, including the ship's captain and assistant.

It was unclear what caused the vessel to capsize.

It follows a similar incident in late July in which 41 people were killed in a capsizing, and another tragedy in June when 56 people died, both off the coast of Yemen.

The route taken by migrants from the Horn of Africa to Yemen is one of the most perilous in the world, with thousands crossing each year trying to reach Gulf states, despite armed conflict in Yemen. The IOM says more than 97,200 migrants arrived in Yemen in 2023. Many are travelling in search of work in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries where they can find employment as labourers or domestic workers.

At least 2,082 migrants have died or gone missing on the route since 2014, according to an IOM tally.

The organisation said in June there had been a recent rise in migrant numbers on the route spurred by droughts and other extreme weather events, along with political and economic instability, in Ethiopia and Somalia.

When they arrive in Yemen the migrants must navigate by a nation ravaged by more than a decade of civil war. The country's armed conflict has spawned a humanitarian crisis in which millions are grappling with displacement and poverty. The situation was worsened this month by flash floods that killed at least 57 people and destroyed crops and critical infrastructure, including roads and water supply systems.

The IOM says migrants on the route often face starvation and dehydration, as well as sexual violence and exploitation by human traffickers and smugglers.

“This latest tragedy is a stark reminder of the perils faced by migrants on this route,” said Matt Huber, acting chief of mission for the IOM in Yemen.