At least 68 people have been confirmed dead and 74 remain missing after a migrant boat capsized off the southern coast of Yemen’s Abyan province late Saturday night, local officials confirmed Sunday.

According to Abdul Qader Bajamil, director of the health office in Abyan, rescue teams recovered 68 bodies along the coastline throughout the day. Twelve survivors were rescued earlier in the morning and immediately transferred to Shaqra General Hospital for emergency treatment. Medical staff reported that several remain in critical condition due to exhaustion and prolonged exposure to seawater.

The tragedy occurred at around 11:00 p.m. local time (2000 GMT) when a smuggling vessel carrying 154 Ethiopian migrants capsized amid severe weather conditions and strong winds in the waters off Abyan.

Local security authorities confirmed that all victims and survivors were of Ethiopian nationality. They were among the thousands of African migrants who attempt the perilous sea crossing to Yemen each year, often aiming to transit onward to Gulf countries in search of work and safety.

Bodies have been discovered scattered along various sections of the coast, prompting authorities to expand search operations and deploy additional rescue teams. Health and security officials are coordinating to arrange proper burial procedures for the recovered victims in designated sites near Zinjibar, the provincial capital.

The incident underscores the extreme risks faced by African migrants making the hazardous Red Sea and Gulf of Aden crossings despite Yemen’s ongoing civil war and humanitarian catastrophe. The United Nations continues to describe Yemen’s crisis as one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters.

Local Yemeni officials have renewed calls for urgent international intervention to address the root causes of irregular migration, improve maritime safety measures, and enhance search-and-rescue capabilities in the region’s treacherous waters. (ILKHA)