At least 49 dead, 140 missing after migrant boat capsizes off coast of Yemen, UN agency says
At least 49 migrants have died and 140 others were missing after a boat capsized off the coast of Yemen, a United Nations agency said Tuesday.
The International Organization for Migration said in a release that the vessel carrying 260 migrants capsized Monday near the Alghareef Point in Shabwah governorate. Among the people that died are 31 women and six children, the IOM said.
The boat had departed from Somalia on Sunday, and was carrying 115 Somali nationals and 145 Ethiopians traveling to Yemen.
Yemen is located across the Gulf of Aden from the African coastal nation of Somalia.
The IOM said it has sent two medical teams to provide immediate assistance to the survivors. The organization said 63 people needed first aid and minor treatment, and eight required further medical attention and were referred to a hospital.
Search and rescue operations for the 140 missing people are ongoing, despite challenges due to a shortage of operational patrol boats.