British News Agency

The head of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Yemen told the BBC that the boat capsized off the coast of Abyan province in southern Yemen. The bodies of 68 people were recovered, 12 were rescued, and dozens remain missing.

Describing the incident as “heartbreaking,” the IOM said most of the victims are believed to be of Ethiopian nationality.

Yemen remains a major transit point for migrants traveling from the Horn of Africa to Gulf Arab countries in search of work. The IOM estimates that hundreds have died or gone missing in recent shipwrecks.

IOM Yemen chief Abdusattor Esoev said the boat was carrying about 157 migrants on a dangerous route through a remote coastal area frequently used by human traffickers.

Yemen continues to be a popular transit country for desperate migrants heading north toward Saudi Arabia in search of better opportunities.