About 45 African migrants drowned off the coast of Taiz Governorate, southwest of Yemen, in the latest drowning accident involving illegal immigrants.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) stated on its account on the “X” platform on Thursday: “A boat carrying 45 refugees and migrants from the Horn of Africa capsized off Taiz, Yemen, last night, due to strong winds and overloading.
He added that so far only 4 survivors have been found, while the other 41 are still missing, while “UNHCR, the International Organization for Migration and the rest of the partners continue to work to assist survivors and meet protection needs.”
49 migrants had died; Including 31 women and 6 children, while 140 others went missing in a similar incident that occurred last June, as a result of a boat capsizing on the Al-Gharif coast in the Radhum District of Shabwa Governorate, southeastern Yemen, with 260 migrants on board (115 Somalis and 145 Ethiopians).
The UNHCR indicated that this incident is the latest in a series of fatal accidents, in what is known as the “Eastern Migration Route,” where tens of thousands of African migrants embark on a dangerous journey across the Red Sea and Yemen to reach Saudi Arabia, escaping conflicts or natural disasters, or seeking opportunities. Better economic.
The International Organization for Migration said last month that, despite the many dangers of the eastern route, the number of migrants arriving every year in Yemen “tripped between 2021 and 2023,” as it “rose from about 27,000 people to more than 90,000.” “.
