25 migrants die on way to Yemen

HODEIDAH: The bodies of 25 migrants were recovered off Yemen yesterday after the boat carrying them capsized with up to 200 people on board, a provincial official said.

Fishermen who found the bodies said they were floating in the waters of Ras al-Ara in the southern province of Lahij, an area rife with human trafficking. “The boat overturned two days ago and was carrying between 160 and 200 people,” said Jalil Ahmed Ali from the Lahij provincial authority. The fate of others on board was unclear.

Despite the war in Yemen, migrants still travel there to find work in Saudi Arabia and neighbouring oil-rich states whose economies depend on foreign labourers. The fishermen said the victims, appeared to be of African origin.