Red Sea tragedy leaves 62 people dead in deadliest crossing of the year
Published on 06 Jun 2014 -
GENEVA, June 6 (UNHCR) - The UN refugee agency on Friday said it had
received confirmation that 62 people died when their boat foundered while
trying to cross the Red Sea from the Horn of Africa to Yemen, making it the
deadliest sinking this year.
"We are still seeking information, but it is now confirmed that a boat
carrying 60 people from Somalia and Ethiopia and two Yemeni crew sank last
Saturday in the Red Sea," UNHCR spokesman Adrian Edwards told journalists in
Geneva. The victims were reportedly buried by local residents after their
bodies washed ashore in Yemen's Al Jadeed area.
"UNHCR's thoughts are with the families and friends of those involved,"
Edwards said. "The tragedy is the largest single loss of life this year of
migrants and refugees attempting to reach Yemen via the Red Sea and the Gulf
of Aden."
The tragedy follows previous incidents in January, March and April, bringing
the known total of deaths at sea of people trying to reach Yemen to at least
121 so far his year.
"UNHCR strongly believes that every life counts and is working to prevent
the alarming loss of life at sea and indifference to people desperately
needing protection. We are reiterating our call for governments in the
region to strengthen their search-and-rescue capacities, their arrangements
for securing safe disembarkation of those rescued and proper identification,
and assistance and referral of vulnerable people in need of protection and
assistance," the UNHCR spokesman said.
He added that UNHCR was ready to support Yemen in these activities,
alongside other measures to boost the protection system in the region
adopted in the Sana'a Declaration of last November's Regional Conference on
Asylum and Migration.
UNHCR has documented the arrival of 16,500 refugees and migrants on the
Yemeni coast during the first four months of 2014, significantly less than
the 35,000 received in the same period last year.
Over the past five years, more than half-a-million people (mainly Somalis,
Ethiopians and Eritreans) have crossed the dangerous waters of the Gulf of
Aden and the Red Sea to reach Yemen. Boats are overcrowded and smugglers
have reportedly thrown passengers overboard to prevent capsizing or avoid
detection. Search-and-rescue officials say the practice has resulted in
hundreds of undocumented casualties in recent years.
UNHCR provides first aid and food to the new arrivals, identified by
patrolling teams on the coast, at three coastal transit centres. The Danish
Refugee Council, the Society of Humanitarian Solidarity, and the Yemen Red
Crescent also provide relief, help patrol the coast and provide transport to
the nearest reception centre for initial registration. With Somalis
receiving prima facie refugee status, those non-Somalis who express interest
in seeking asylum are provided with attestation letters, valid for 20 days,
to approach the UNHCR offices in Sana'a or Aden and seek asylum.