DUBAI: A shipwreck off Yemen killed at least 68 migrants, with 74 still missing, The UN’s migration agency reported on Sunday.
“At this stage, the deaths of 27 people are confirmed, their bodies have been recovered,” one security source had earlier said, adding that “searches are ongoing.”
A second source said “150 people were on board the vessel that sank,” also reporting 27 dead.
A police source told AFP that “the boat was heading for the coast of (Abyan) province,” adding that “smuggler boats regularly arrive in our region.”
Abyan province’s security directorate said in a statement that security forces “are currently conducting a large operation to recover the bodies of a significant number of Ethiopian migrants (Oromos) who drowned off the coast of Abyan while attempting to illegally enter Yemeni territory.”
