ISTANBUL 

Seven Ethiopian migrants died of hunger and thirst after their boat broke down while en route from Somalia to Yemen, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Wednesday.

In a statement, the UN agency said its teams in Yemen have provided “lifesaving assistance to survivors of a harrowing seven-day voyage from Bossaso, Somalia.”

The IOM said a boat carrying 250 Ethiopian migrants, including 82 children, arrived in the Arqah area of southern Yemen on Tuesday.

“Seven of the migrants died of hunger and thirst en route,” it said.

“These people have been through a week of hell on the high seas. They have been exploited, terrified and traumatized,” said Abdusattor Esoev, IOM’s chief of mission in Yemen.

Esoev warned that “tragedies would continue as vulnerable migrants take ever-more dangerous journeys on the Eastern Route.”

‏Since the beginning of 2025, the IOM has recorded more than 350 migrant deaths and disappearances along the Eastern Route, though the real number is believed to be significantly higher.

‏Yemen is a common destination for hundreds of illegal migrants from the Horn of Africa, particularly Somalia and Ethiopia, who undertake this perilous journey in hopes of reaching Gulf countries to seek better living conditions.