At Least 49 Migrants Drown, 140 Missing After Overloaded Boat Capsizes Off Yemen Coast

At least 49 migrants have drowned and 140 others remain missing after an overloaded boat capsized off the coast of Yemen.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has reported that the vessel overturned in the waters off the shores of Yemen’s Shabwa province, marking one of the deadliest incidents along the migration route from the Horn of Africa to Yemen. 

The boat had departed from Somalia’s port city of Bossaso early Sunday, carrying 115 Somalis and 145



Ethiopians, including 90 women. According to the IOM, search and rescue efforts by local authorities were hampered by a shortage of patrol boats and recent conflicts in the area. Community members, including fishermen, played a vital role in recovering bodies and assisting survivors.

Since 2014, the IOM has recorded nearly 1,900 migrant deaths along the migration corridor from East Africa to Yemen, commonly known as the ‘Eastern Route.’