A boat has capsized near the coast of Yemen, resulting in the death of 65 migrants. The boat, carrying approximately 150 people, capsized in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Yemen’s southern Abyan province. The Yemeni Ministry of Health stated that many of the boat’s passengers had fallen into the sea, and a large number of them were missing. The boat was carrying people attempting to migrate to Gulf countries. A senior Yemeni health official, Abdul Qadir Bajamili, said that only 12 people were rescued alive from those who fell into the sea. These included one Yemeni citizen and nine Ethiopians. Yemeni sources revealed that efforts were underway to search for other people who had fallen from the boat.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM), a United Nations agency dealing with migrants, said that a large number of people from African countries were traveling to Yemen in an attempt to migrate to Gulf countries. They added that this number has increased several fold in recent times. These people cross the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to travel to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries.
The IOM stated that crossing the Bab el-Mandeb Strait is currently one of the most dangerous journeys for refugees in the world. The agency also reported that about 60,000 people traveled to Yemen last year with the intention of migrating to Gulf countries.
