About 85 Ethiopian migrants were travelling along the eastern migration route when the lorry overturned in the town of Semera on Tuesday morning, a senior Afar official Mohammed Ali Biedo said in a statement. Yemen is a major pathway for migrants from the Horn of Africa travelling to Gulf states in search of work. "The accident occurred when a lorry transporting migrants, misled by illegal brokers and unaware of the dangers of their journey, overturned," Biedo said in the statement. The Afar regional government said it was "doing all the necessary life saving operations" on the injured migrants following the "horrific" accident. Despite the risks, more than 60,000 migrants arrived in Yemen in 2024 alone, many ultimately bound for Saudi Arabia, according to IOM.

Source: Ethiopian News January 06, 2026 12:49 UTC