More than 180 migrants are feared dead after two boats capsized off Yemen’s Dhubab district in Ta’iz governorate due to severe weather conditions.
The boats, carrying migrants mostly from the Horn of Africa, were attempting the dangerous journey across the rough seas when they sank.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that at least 124 men and 57 women were aboard the two vessels. While two Yemeni crew members were rescued, all other passengers and crew members are feared dead, with no bodies recovered so far.
IOM officials expressed deep concern over the increasing danger migrants face, with smugglers ignoring weather warnings and sending people into perilous conditions.
They emphasized the urgent need for safe migration routes and better protection for vulnerable migrants.
Last year, over 60,000 migrants arrived in Yemen, and since 2014, the IOM’s Missing Migrants Project has recorded over 3,400 deaths and disappearances along the eastern route, with drowning being responsible for a significant portion of the fatalities.
