49 dead, 140 missing as boat capsizes off Yemen coast
Jun 12, 2024
Cairo [Egypt], June 12: Dozens of people have died after a migrant boat carrying around 260 people capsized off the coast of Yemen, according to the United Nations.
The UN's International Organization for Migration (IOM) announced on Tuesday that 49 migrants had died. Six of them are said to have been children. A further 140 people are missing. It said that 71 people had been rescued. The accident happened on Monday.
According to survivors, the boat had set sail from Somalia on Saturday night. There are said to have been 115 Somali nationals and 145 Ethiopians on board.
Migrants from Ethiopia and Somalia repeatedly make the dangerous journey across the coast of Djibouti to Yemen in the hope of a better life.
They usually want to make their way to Saudi Arabia or other Gulf states in search of work. However, they often get stuck in poor and dangerous conditions in Yemen. According to IOM figures, around 100,000 people made their way to Yemen in 2023.
A devastating conflict between the government and the Houthi rebel militia and their allies has been raging in the country since the end of 2014.
The situation escalated further after the outbreak of the Gaza war. By attacking merchant ships in the Red Sea, the Houthis want to put an end to the Israeli attacks on Gaza.
In response, the United States and Britain have carried out several military strikes against Houthi positions.
Source: Qatar Tribune
