On August 5, 2025, a smuggler’s boat overturned off the coast of Shabwah province in Yemen, causing the death of at least 51 people. The Bosaso, Somalia, to Yemen ship was loaded with 115 people, mostly Somalis and Ethiopians, the report said.
The boat went overboard with locals’ rescue forces and aid agencies getting the bodies after the accident. They reported that they had recovered the 51 corpses and saved 35 people alive. Meanwhile, search operations were underway to find the missing people.
Survivors were provided with medical care and psychological support as a large number of them were found to be dehydrated, shocked, and traumatized. The Gulf of Aden is still a deadly but frequently used migration route for people escaping poverty and war in the Horn of Africa.
This disaster is among a series of sinking like the one in June 2024 that took the lives of more than 30 migrants in the region.
The International Organization for Migration has issued a strong call for better management of migration flows and broader access to safe routes to lessen the number of dangerous sea crossings.
The United Nations made an appeal for money from the donor community to immediately provide aid to survivors and displaced people in Yemen, a country which is still unstable and economically challenged.
