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At least 13 dead, 14 missing after boat sinks off Yemen: UN agency | Refugee news

The International Organization for Migration said eleven men and two women were among the dead, while the search operation was still ongoing.

According to the United Nations migration agency, at least 13 people have died and 14 others are missing after a boat sank off the coast of Yemen.

“A migrant boat capsized off the coast of Yemen’s Taiz province on Tuesday,” the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said in a statement on Sunday.

The boat, which had left Djibouti with 25 Ethiopians and two Yemeni nationals on board, sank near the Dubab district in the Bani al-Hakam sub-district, it said.

Among the confirmed dead are 11 men and two women, while the search for the missing, including the Yemeni captain and his assistant, is still ongoing, the IOM said.

It was pointed out that the cause of the shipwreck remains unclear.

“This latest tragedy is a stark reminder of the dangers migrants face on this route,” said Matt Huber, Deputy Head of IOM’s Mission in Yemen.

“Every life lost in these dangerous waters is one too many. We must not normalise these devastating losses, but work together to ensure that migrants are protected and supported on their journey.”

Tuesday's capsizing followed similar shipping accidents in June and July, the IOM said.

“[It] is another devastating reminder of the extreme dangers of this migration route and the dependence on smuggling networks. Vulnerable migrants are often pushed into dangerous situations by smugglers as they try to flee desperate circumstances and find safety and opportunity in the Gulf States,” the UN agency said.

Tens of thousands of refugees and migrants leave the Horn of Africa every year to escape conflict, natural disasters or poor economic prospects, sailing across the Red Sea to reach the oil-rich Gulf.

IOM recorded more than 97,200 arrivals in Yemen in 2023, exceeding the previous year's figures.

People who reach Yemen often face additional security threats, as the Arabian Peninsula's poorest country has been embroiled in civil war for nearly a decade.

Many try to get to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states to work as laborers or domestic workers.

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