At least 68 African refugees and migrants have died after a boat capsized off the coast of Yemen.
More than 74 others remain missing, according to the United Nations migration agency.
Abdusattor Esoev, the head of the UN’s International Organization for Migration in Yemen, revealed that there were 154 Ethiopians aboard.
Twelve people survived the shipwreck, he said, adding that the bodies of 54 refugees and migrants washed ashore and 14 others were found dead at different locations.
Yemeni health authorities earlier said that 54 people had died.
The waterways between Yemen and the Horn of Africa are a common but perilous route for refugees and migrants travelling in both directions.
The area saw a spike in Yemenis fleeing the country after the civil war broke out in 2014.
Houthi rebels and government forces reached a truce deal in April 2022 that has resulted in a decrease in violence and the slight easing of the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Yemen.
Those fleeing conflict in Africa, particularly in Somalia and Ethiopia, have sought refuge in Yemen or travel through the country to the more prosperous Gulf countries.
According to the IOM, more than 60,000 refugees and migrants arrived in Yemen in 2024, marking a significant drop from the previous year’s total of 97,200.
Over the past decade, at least 2,082 people have disappeared along the route, including 693 known to have drowned, according to the IOM.
Yemen currently hosts 380,000 refugees and migrants.
