IOM: At least 49 migrants dead, 140 missing off Yemen Coast

Shafaq News/ At least 49 migrants died, and 140 others are missing after their boat capsized off the coast of Yemen, the UN migration agency reported on Tuesday.

The vessel departed from Somalia carrying 260 migrants, including Somalis and Ethiopians, according to a statement from the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

The boat capsized on Monday near Alghareef Point in Yemen's Shabwah governorate. Among the dead were 31 women and six children, the IOM said.

"This recent tragedy is another reminder of the urgent need to work together to address urgent migration challenges and ensure the safety and security of migrants along migration routes," said Mohammed Ali Abunajela, an IOM spokesperson.

IOM, which maintains a tally of migrants who are killed or go missing on migration routes, has recorded 1,860 migrant deaths and disappearances along the path from East Africa and the Horn of Africa to Gulf countries since 2014. Nearly 500 of those deaths were caused by drowning.

IOM described the route as one of the world's busiest and most dangerous. "Often relying on smugglers to navigate the journey, migrants are frequently at an increased risk, including of human trafficking, during the perilous boat journey to Yemen's shores," it said.