At Least 49 Dead, 140 Missing As Migrant Boat Capsizes Near Yemen

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According to the IOM, the ship left Somalia with 260 migrants on board, including Somalis and Ethiopians.

2024-06-12T15:22:34+05:00 News Desk

The UN migration agency said on Tuesday that over 49 migrants died and 140 others went missing after their boat capsized off the coast of Yemen. 

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the ship left Somalia with 260 migrants on board, including Somalis and Ethiopians. 

The accident occurred on Monday at Alghareef Point in Yemen's Shabwah governorate. According to IOM, 31 women and six children died. 

"This recent tragedy is another reminder of the urgent need to work together to address urgent migration challenges and ensure migrants' safety and security along migration routes," said Mohammedali Abunajela, an IOM spokesperson.

Since 2014, the International Organization for Migration has reported 1,860 migrant fatalities and disappearances along the route connecting East Africa and the Horn of Africa to Gulf nations. Nearly 500 people died as a result of drowning. 

The IOM stated that the migratory route in issue is the most perilous in the world. 

"Often relying on smugglers to navigate the journey, migrants are frequently at increased risk, including human trafficking, during the perilous boat journey to Yemen's shores," stated the statement. 

According to the United Nations, around 97,000 migrants arrived in Yemen from the Horn of Africa last year.

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