IOM announces death of 68 African migrants, loss of 74 others off coast of Abyan

ABYAN, Aug. 04 (YPA) – The United Nations’ International Organization for Migration announced that at least 68 African migrants drowned, while 74 others are still missing, after the boat they were traveling on sank off the coast of Abyan Governorate in southern Yemen.

The head of the IOM mission in Yemen, Abdul Satar Isoyev, explained that the boat, which was carrying 154 Ethiopian migrants, capsized during its journey in the Gulf of Aden, indicating that only about 12 people survived, according to the Associated Press.

Isoyev added that the waves washed 54 bodies to the shore in Khanfar area of Abyan, while 14 other bodies were recovered in separate locations and transferred to Zunjbar Hospital.

Medical sources in Abyan reported that local authorities are burying the victims in a cemetery near the coastal city of Shaqra, while search operations are still ongoing amid difficult sea conditions.

Gangs smuggling African migrants to the Yemeni coast are active in Abyan and Shabwa, which are under the control of UAE-funded factions, amid accusations that faction leaders receive exorbitant sums of money from the gangs in exchange for disembarking migrants on the Yemeni coast.

According to the International Organization for Migration, 558 migrants drowned on this sea route in 2024, while over the past decade, at least 2,082 people were reported missing, including 693 who drowned.