Key points
- 68 bodies recovered
- Dozens still missing
- 12 people rescued
ISLAMABAD: More than 60 migrants died when a boat carrying around 150 people sank off the coast of Yemen in bad weather on Sunday.
The vessel capsized off Yemen’s southern province of Abyan, and 68 bodies have been recovered, the BBC reported, citing the Yemen chief for the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).
He said 12 people had been rescued and dozens were still missing.
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”.
“Large operation”
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.
Irregular migration
Despite the war that has ravaged Yemen since 2014, irregular migration via the impoverished country has continued, in particular from Ethiopia, which itself has been roiled by ethnic conflict.
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.
According to the UN’s International Organisation for Migration, tens of thousands of migrants have become stranded in Yemen and suffer abuse and exploitation during their journeys.
