At least 68 people have died and many more are missing after a boat carrying about 157 migrants capsized in rough weather off the southern coast of Yemen, in Abyan province, on Sunday.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) confirmed the sinking and said only 12 survivors have been rescued so far. Most of the dead are believed to be Ethiopian nationals, who were attempting to reach Gulf countries in search of work.
The IOM’s Yemen chief, Abdusattor Esoev, told the BBC that the vessel was traveling on a well-known but extremely dangerous smuggling route across the Gulf of Aden.
“We keep calling on governments to open legal and safe migration routes so people don’t feel forced to risk their lives with smugglers,” Esoev said. “This was a preventable tragedy.”
This is not an isolated event. According to the IOM’s Missing Migrants Project, more than 3,400 people have died or gone missing on the same migration route in the past 10 years — 1,400 of those by drowning.
Yemen has become a key migration route for people fleeing poverty, conflict, and unemployment in East Africa, especially Ethiopia, Somalia, Eritrea, and Djibouti. Their goal is often to reach Saudi Arabia or other Gulf states.
Despite Yemen’s own devastating civil war, which has raged for over a decade, tens of thousands still attempt the crossing every year. The IOM estimates over 60,000 migrants have arrived in Yemen in 2024 alone.
Reports suggest that smugglers are becoming more reckless, knowingly sending boats out during rough seas to avoid patrols or maximize profits.
Back in March 2025, two boats carrying more than 180 migrants also sank off Yemen’s coast. Only two crew members survived. Survivors from previous sinkings have told the IOM of beatings, starvation, and being forced onto overcrowded boats in unsafe weather conditions.
“We are seeing a growing disregard for human life,” an IOM report stated. “Desperation is being exploited.”
Local authorities in Abyan said bodies have washed up along the shoreline across a wide area. A large-scale search and rescue operation is ongoing, but rough waters and lack of resources are slowing efforts.
The exact number of missing remains unknown, but dozens are feared dead.
The IOM is urging international governments to:
Expand legal migration pathways so people don’t have to rely on smugglers
Increase funding for rescue operations and migrant safety
Address root causes of migration — including poverty, war, and lack of opportunity
This disaster is another reminder of the hidden cost of global inequality. As wars, climate change, and economic hardship push people to move, many are left with only the most dangerous options — often leading to death before reaching their destination.
“No one puts their child on a boat unless the water is safer than the land,” said a survivor in a previous report. Sadly, for many, neither is safe.
