At least two people have died and 186 remain missing after four boats carrying African migrants capsized off the coasts of Yemen and Djibouti, the United Nations’ migration agency reported on Friday. The boats, which were making the perilous journey from East Africa to the Gulf, capsized late Thursday due to strong winds.
Two boats sank off Yemen, where 181 migrants and five Yemeni crew members remain unaccounted for. The migrants were primarily from Ethiopia, and two crew members were rescued. The other two boats, capsized near Djibouti, resulted in two confirmed fatalities, but all other passengers were safely rescued, according to Abdusattor Esoev, the head of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) mission in Yemen.
Yemen serves as a critical transit point for migrants from the Horn of Africa, with hundreds of thousands attempting to reach the Gulf in search of work each year. The tragedy highlights the risks faced by migrants taking this dangerous route.
The IOM, through spokesperson Tamim Eleian, expressed deep concern for those missing and underscored the dangers migrants endure while seeking better opportunities abroad.
