At least 13 people have died and 14 others are missing after a boat sank off the coast of Yemen, the United Nations migration agency has said.

“A migrant boat capsized off the coast of Yemen’s Taiz governorate on Tuesday,” the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said in a statement on Sunday.

The boat, which departed from Djibouti carrying 25 Ethiopians and two Yemeni nationals, sank near Dubab district in Bani al-Hakam subdistrict, it added.

Eleven men and two women were among those confirmed dead as a search operation continues to locate the missing, including the Yemeni captain and his assistant, the IOM said.

It noted that the cause of the shipwreck remains unclear.

“This latest tragedy is a stark reminder of the perils faced by migrants on this route,” said Matt Huber, the acting chief of IOM’s mission in Yemen.

“Every life lost in these dangerous waters is one too many, and it is imperative that we do not normalise these devastating losses and instead work collectively to ensure that migrants are protected and supported throughout their journeys.”

“[It] is yet another devastating reminder of the extreme dangers of this migration route and the reliance on smuggling networks. Vulnerable migrants are often pushed into perilous conditions by smugglers as they attempt to flee desperate circumstances in search of safety and opportunity in the Gulf states,” the UN agency said.

Tens of thousands of refugees and migrants set off yearly from the Horn of Africa, seeking to escape conflict, natural disasters or poor economic prospects and sailing across the Red Sea in a bid to reach the oil-rich Gulf.

The IOM recorded more than 97,200 arrivals in Yemen in 2023, surpassing the previous year’s numbers.

People who do reach Yemen often encounter further threats to their safety, as the Arabian Peninsula’s poorest country has been mired in civil war for nearly a decade.

Many are trying to reach Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries for employment as labourers or domestic workers.