Fishermen rescuing survivors

At least 49 people from the Horn of Africa have died and 140 are missing after their boat capsized off the coast of Yemen, according to the UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Among the dead were six children and 31 women. Survivors told rescuers that the vessel, carrying 260 migrants, sank on Monday in strong winds. The search continues for the missing migrants. The IOM is providing aid to 71 survivors, including six children, with eight migrants referred to hospital.

In a statement on Tuesday, IOM spokesman Mohammedali Abunajela said “this recent tragedy is another reminder of the urgent need to work together to address urgent migration challenges”.

According to the UN, 97,000 migrants arrived in Yemen from the Horn of Africa last year. They are motivated by political and economic instability, droughts, and other extreme weather events in their own countries, the organization said.

The number of migrants arriving to Yemen annually has tripled from around 27,000 in 2021 to more than 90,000 in 2023, the IOM said. The increase has occurred despite the war in Yemen and recent Houthi assaults on ships in the Red Sea.

The journey is perilous: Since 2014, the IOM has recorded 1,860 migrant deaths and disappearances along the route from East Africa and the Horn of Africa to the Gulf, including 480 people who drowned.

Thanks to Alaric Bond for contributing to this post