Boat carrying over 60 African migrants capsized near Yemen, leaving more than 60 deaths and numerous missing, according to the UN report.
In a heartbreaking incident, a boat carrying 154 Ethiopian migrants capsized off Yemen's southern Abyan province in the Gulf of Aden, resulting in the death of at least 76 to 96 people, with dozens still missing and around 32 survivors rescued.
The tragedy took place early Sunday morning, with bodies washing ashore in Khanfar and Zinjibar, the provincial capital of Abyan. According to reports, 54 migrant bodies were found in Khanfar, and 14 were discovered dead in Zinjibar.
This incident is part of a series of shipwrecks off Yemen that have resulted in the deaths of hundreds of African migrants. The Abyan security directorate has initiated a large-scale search-and-rescue operation following the boat capsizing.
Yemen remains a major route for migrants from East Africa and the Horn of Africa, despite a decade of civil war. Migrants are taken by smugglers on often dangerous, overcrowded boats across the Red Sea or Gulf of Aden.
Historically, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has recorded at least 558 deaths along the Red Sea migration route in 2024, with 462 deaths attributed specifically to boat accidents. The most recent and historically significant data indicate that shipwrecks off Yemen's coast, especially involving migrant boats carrying mostly Ethiopians, have resulted in high death tolls, with the latest tragic incidents in 2025 marking some of the deadliest on record.
The migrants were fleeing conflict and poverty, hoping to reach wealthy Gulf Arab countries. The decrease in migrant arrivals in 2024 may be due to greater patrolling of the waters. However, the IOM reported that hundreds of migrants have died or gone missing in shipwrecks off Yemen in recent months.
The route remains one of the deadliest maritime corridors in recent years, with the 2025 shipwreck off Abyan among the highest death tolls recorded since the IOM began monitoring in 2014. These incidents reflect a persistent and severe humanitarian crisis driven by conflict and poverty in East Africa and Yemen's role as a dangerous transit point for irregular migration.
In March 2024, two migrants died and 186 others were reported missing after four boats capsized off Yemen and Djibouti. The IOM reported the incident, and an IOM report in March 2024 stated that more than 60,000 migrants arrived in Yemen in 2024, a decrease from 97,200 in 2023.
The ongoing migrant crisis underscores the need for increased international cooperation to ensure the safety and protection of migrants, particularly in high-risk areas such as the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. As the search-and-rescue operation continues, the international community must come together to address the root causes of this crisis and provide safe and legal pathways for migrants to seek a better life.
Sources:
- Reuters (2025). Death toll in Yemen boat sinking rises to 96, dozens still missing. [online] Available at: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/death-toll-yemen-boat-sinking-rises-96-dozens-still-missing-2025-08-01/
- Al Jazeera (2025). Dozens missing after boat carrying migrants capsizes off Yemen. [online] Available at: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/8/1/dozens-missing-after-boat-carrying-migrants-capsizes-off-yemen
- IOM (2025). More than 60,000 migrants arrived in Yemen in 2024. [online] Available at: https://www.iom.int/yemen/more-60000-migrants-arrived-yemen-2024
- IOM (2025). Hundreds of migrants die or go missing in shipwrecks off Yemen. [online] Available at: https://www.iom.int/yemen/hundreds-migrants-die-or-go-missing-shipwrecks-off-yemen
- Amidst the ongoing migrant crisis, the politics surrounding the issue of irregular migration through the Gulf of Aden has emerged as a critical general-news topic, with the latest shipwreck off Abyan's coast being a tragic reminder of the need for safer and more legal passage for migrants.
- In the context of crime-and-justice, the recurring shipwrecks off Yemen, such as the one that took place in August 2025, have resulted in numerous deaths, highlighting the exploitation and disregard for human life by smugglers and underscoring the urgent need for international cooperation to ensure justice and prevent such tragedies.
