At least 49 migrants die, 140 missing after boat capsizes off Yemen coast, UN agency says

At least 49 migrants are dead and 140 others are missing after a boat carrying 260 migrants capsized off the Yemen coast, the United Nations International Organization for Migration said Tuesday.

At least 31 women and children are among the deceased, and 71 survivors have been rescued, according to the UN agency. The boat had left Somalia around 3 a.m. on Sunday and was carrying 115 Somali nationals and 145 Ethiopians, survivors said.

"This recent tragedy is another reminder of the urgent need to work together to address urgent migration challenges and ensure the safety and security of migrants along migration routes," agency spokesperson Mohammedali Abunajela said. 

Local community members near Alghareef Point in Shabwah governorate, Yemen, helped with recovery efforts and burying the deceased, the UN agency also said.

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