DUBAI: A shipwreck off Yemen killed at least 27 migrants, with more than 100 still missing, two security sources in the southern province of Abyan told AFP on Sunday.
“At this stage, the deaths of 27 people are confirmed, their bodies have been recovered,” one security source said, adding that “searches are ongoing”.
A second source said “150 people were on board the vessel that sank”, also reporting 27 dead.
A police source told AFP that “the boat was heading for the coast of (Abyan) province”, adding that “smuggler boats regularly arrive in our region”.
Abyan province’s security directorate said in a statement that security forces “are currently conducting a large operation to recover the bodies of a significant number of Ethiopian migrants (Oromos) who drowned off the coast of Abyan while attempting to illegally enter Yemeni territory”.
“Many bodies have been found across various beaches, suggesting that a number of victims are still missing at sea,” it added.
Migrants cross the Bab al-Mandab Strait, which separates Djibouti from Yemen and is a major route for international trade headed to and from the Suez Canal, as well as for migration and human trafficking.
