In Yemen, 51 people from 120 asylum seekers thrown into the sea by human traffickers were reported to have lost their lives by drowning.

In a written statement from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), it is said that “Up to 120 migrants are reported to have been forced from a boat today (10/08) by smugglers off the coast of Yemen. Five bodies have been recovered so far and around 50 are reported missing. This latest incident comes barely 24 hours after smugglers forced more than 120 Somali and Ethiopian migrants into the sea as they approached the coast of Shabwa, a Yemeni Governorate along the Arabian Sea resulting in the drowning of around 50 migrants. The migrants had been hoping to reach countries in the Gulf via war-torn Yemen.” IOM explained that the majority of drowned people are young.

The report, which said that 51 asylum seekers lost their lives by drowning, is reported that the average age of drowned asylum seekers is 16. (ILKHA)