IOM: 7 Ethiopian migrants die of hunger and thirst on boat to Yemen

ABYAN, Aug. 10 (YPA) -The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that seven Ethiopian migrants died from hunger and thirst, while 243 others were rescued during a harrowing seven-day voyage from Bossaso, Somalia to Yemen.

The incident occurred just days after another boat sank off the coast of Shuqrah in Yemen’s Abyan province, resulting in the deaths of dozens of migrants.

According to the UN agency, the boat carrying 250 Ethiopian migrants, including 155 men, 95 women and 82 children, arrived in the Arqah area of southern Yemen after departing from Bossaso, Somalia.

It said that what was planned as a 24-hour journey stretched into seven days when the vessel’s engine failed approximately 100 nautical miles into the voyage, forcing passengers to rely on wind and manual paddling.

IOM’s Mobile Medical Team responded immediately upon the boat’s arrival, providing survivors with water, food and medical assistance to treat hunger, dehydration and exposure to extreme weather conditions.

Several individuals requiring urgent care were transferred to a nearby medical clinic, where they received treatment and were later discharged in stable condition.

@E.Y.M