At least 54 migrants dead in shipwreck off Yemen

 

More than 50 migrants died and others are still missing after a boat carrying African migrants, mostly Ethiopians, sank in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Yemen, a Yemeni official told Reuters on Sunday.

Abdul Qader Bajameel, the director of health for Zinjibar District in Abyan Governorate, said that the bodies of 54 migrants, both male and female, had been recovered, while 10 others were rescued- nine Ethiopians and one Yemeni.

Mr Bajameel confirmed that search and rescue operations are still continuing to retrieve the remaining bodies, as the boat was carrying about 150 people.

Security sources had earlier told Reuters that the boat capsized early Sunday morning due to bad weather and strong winds off the coast of the Ahwar District in Abyan Governorate, southern Yemen, on the Arabian Sea.

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) says Yemen continues to see a significant rise in the influx of irregular migrants arriving from Africa.

It reported that more than 37,000 migrants arrived in Yemen during the first quarter of this year, compared to more than 60,000 in all of last year.

Over the past five years, incidents of migrant boats sinking have increased, especially off Yemen’s eastern and western coasts, as people search for work opportunities there or attempt to reach the wealthy Gulf countries, particularly Saudi Arabia.

Source; The national news