On Friday, March 7, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that over 180 people are missing and are feared to have died after two migrant boats capsized in rough seas off Yemen.
According to IOM, the boats, which were carrying migrants from a country in the Horn of Africa, sank near the Dhubab district in the Ta’iz governorate of Yemen.
Tamim Elyan, a spokesperson for IOM, explained that despite warnings of bad weather, the boats went down in the rough waters. “Only two Yemeni crew members were rescued. Sadly, all the other passengers and the remaining crew are feared to be lost, and no bodies have been found so far,” he said.
IOM, which keeps track of migrants who are killed or go missing, also shared that last year, 558 people died while traveling on the dangerous migration route between the Eastern Horn of Africa and Yemen.
Every year, many people from the Horn of Africa, where instability is common, set out to find better opportunities in Gulf countries. This route, known as the Eastern Route, is one of the most dangerous migration paths in the world.
