At least 54 migrants died when a boat carrying around 150 people sank off Yemen's coast in bad weather on Sunday, with dozens still unaccounted for, local health officials said, adding that 10 of the around 150 people on board were rescued - nine Ethiopians and one Yemeni - but dozens remained missing and rescuers were still looking for survivors.
The boat capsized off the Ahwar district in Yemen's southern Abyan province on the Arabian Sea, according to local security sources.
The boat trip across the Gulf of Aden is the first part of one of the most dangerous migration and smuggling routes in the world, which desperate men and women from Ethiopia and other East African countries traverse as they attempt to reach oil-rich Saudi Arabia.
International Organization for Migration ( IOM) said in a statement that 68 Ethiopian migrants had died. “This heartbreaking incident underscores the urgent need for enhanced protection mechanisms for migrants undertaking perilous journeys, often facilitated by unscrupulous smugglers who exploit desperation and vulnerability,” IOM added