GENEVA (Reuters) -At least 49 migrants died and 140 others were missing after their boat capsized off the coast of Yemen, the U.N. migration agency said on Tuesday. The vessel, which departed from Somalia and was carrying 260 migrants, among them Somalis and Ethiopians, the International Organization of Migration (IOM) statement 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 Mohammedali Abunajela, a spokesperson for IOM. IOM, which runs a tally of migrants who are killed or go missing on migration routes, has since 2014 recorded 1,860 migrant deaths and disappearances along the route running from East Africa and the Horn of Africa to Gulf countries. According to the United Nations, 97,000 migrants arrived in Yemen from the Horn of Africa last year.

Source: Ethiopian News June 11, 2024 12:00 UTC