Aden – At least 28 migrants from the Horn of Africa are believed to be missing after a shipwreck on 30 October occurred off the coast of Yemen. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) verified this weekend that the Yemeni Coast Guard has so far recovered three bodies and continues to search for those remaining.

According to witnesses, the boat left Obock in Djibouti to cross the Bab-Al Mandab straight bound for a prominent landing point in Yemen in the middle of the night with at least 30 people on board. The overcrowded boat could not withstand the high tides and rocky waters, and eventually sank. 

Nearly 54,000 migrants have departed on the Eastern Corridor route that spans from the Horn of Africa to countries in the Gulf since the beginning of 2022, according to IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix.

Migrants take arduous journeys facilitated by smugglers, who subject them to dangers including boat journeys on overcrowded and unseaworthy vessels as well as exploitation, abuse and violence.  

This latest tragedy highlights the terrible conditions faced by migrants on this route.

IOM offers its condolences to the families of the deceased and calls on governments to ensure the safety and protection of migrants, regardless of their status and across all stages of their journeys.

The Organization remains committed to protecting and assisting people on the move along the Eastern Corridor, within the framework of the Regional Migrant Response Plan (MRP), through the provision of  basic needs and emergency humanitarian assistance, as well as specialized protection interventions, voluntary return and sustainable reintegration.

Read more about the current situation facing migrants in Yemen here. 

For more information, please contact: Angela Wells at IOM Yemen, Email: awells@iom.int, Tel: +967 730 552233 and IOM Yemen’s Communications Team at  iomyemenmediacomm@iom.int