Tragedy in the Gulf of Aden: Over 140 Ethiopian Migrants Feared Dead After Boat Capsizes Off Yemen’s Coast

A humanitarian tragedy unfolded early Sunday in the Gulf of Aden, as a boat carrying 154 Ethiopian migrants capsized off the coast of Yemen, leaving at least 142 people feared dead, according to the United Nations International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Only 12 survivors were rescued from the disaster, which marks one of the deadliest migrant shipwrecks in the region’s recent history. Abdusattor Esoev, the IOM’s Chief of Mission in Yemen, confirmed the grim toll, stating that recovery efforts are ongoing. At least 68 bodies have been retrieved so far, many of them washing ashore on the beaches near Khanfa in western Yemen.

Local authorities, including the Abyan security directorate, have launched a large-scale search-and-rescue operation, combing the coastline and surrounding waters for any additional survivors or bodies. In a public statement, officials described the efforts as “massive,” reflecting the scale of the catastrophe and the urgency of the mission.