More than 50 refugees and migrants die in boat sinking off Yemeni coast

BREAKINGBREAKING,

Rescue operations are ongoing to find dozens much missing, section authorities say.

At slightest 54 African refugees and migrants person died and dozens stay missing aft a vessel capsized disconnected the seashore of Yemen, according to Health authorities successful Abyan Governorate successful the southbound of the country.

Abdul Qader Bajamil, manager of the wellness bureau successful Zanzibar, said ion Sunday that rescue teams had recovered 54 bodies from the beaches determination and surrounding areas, portion 12 survivors were transferred to Shaqra Hospital.

The vessel carrying astir 150 people, mostly from Ethiopia, capsized successful the Arabian Sea disconnected the seashore of Shaqra, successful the Abyan Governorate, owed to beardown winds connected Saturday evening.

Bajamil noted that authorities were making arrangements to hide the victims successful an country adjacent the city, portion hunt operations continued amid hard conditions.

The waterways betwixt Yemen and the Horn of Africa are a common but perilous way for refugees and migrants travelling successful some directions. The country saw a spike successful Yemenis fleeing the state aft the civilian warfare broke retired successful 2014.

Houthi rebels and authorities forces reached a truce woody successful April 2022 that has resulted successful a alteration successful unit and the flimsy easing of the ongoing humanitarian crisis.

Meanwhile, immoderate of those fleeing struggle successful Africa, peculiarly successful Somalia and Ethiopia, person sought refuge successful Yemen oregon person sought to question done the state to the much prosperous Gulf countries. The way remains 1 of the “busiest and astir perilous” migration routes successful the world, according to the United Nations’ International Organization for Migration (IOM).

To scope Yemen, radical are taken by smugglers connected often dangerous, overcrowded boats crossed the Red Sea oregon Gulf of Aden.

According to IOM), much than 60,000 refugees and migrants arrived successful Yemen successful 2024 alone, marking a important driblet from the erstwhile twelvemonth of 97,200.

The decreased numbers comes amid accrued patrols of the waters, according to an IOM study released successful May.

This is simply a deadly way that has killed hundreds implicit the past 2 years. According to the IOM, 558 radical died on the way past year.

Over the past decade, astatine slightest 2,082 radical person disappeared on the route, including 693 known to person drowned, according to the IOM. Yemen presently houses astir 380,000 refugees and migrants.