The United Nations’ International Organization for Migration said on Monday that at least 68 migrants died and 74 others remain missing after an overcrowded vessel carrying 157 people capsized early Sunday in the Gulf of Aden off Yemen’s southern Abyan province. Twelve passengers—nine Ethiopians and one Yemeni among them—were rescued, according to provincial health officials, while local security forces continue a wide-area search for additional victims. Most of those on board were Ethiopian nationals attempting to reach Gulf Arab states via what the IOM describes as one of the world’s busiest and most perilous sea migration routes. Despite more than a decade of civil war, Yemen remains a key transit point; the agency recorded more than 60,000 migrant arrivals in 2024 alone. Sunday’s disaster is the deadliest in the area this year and adds to a rising toll of drownings attributed to overcrowded boats, poor sea conditions and smuggler practices along the Horn of Africa–Yemen corridor.