Ethiopian Migrants Killed in Lorry Crash

At least 22 Ethiopian migrants were killed and more than 60 others injured after a lorry they were travelling in overturned in the Afar region of northern Ethiopia, local authorities said on Tuesday.

The accident occurred early in the day near Semera, several hundred kilometres west of the border with Djibouti, when the heavily crowded vehicle lost stability and flipped over, regional officials said.

The migrants were reportedly travelling along the eastern migration route, a path commonly used by those heading towards the Gulf states in search of work. Many migrants take this route across the Red Sea, including journeys from Djibouti to Yemen, in hopes of securing employment as labourers or domestic workers.

Local authorities said many of those on board had been misled by irregular brokers about the dangers of the journey and the conditions of travel. Survivors were taken to medical facilities for treatment, where officials continued to provide care and search for missing passengers.

The region has seen a significant rise in deadly incidents along migration routes in recent years. According to the International Organisation for Migration, hundreds of deaths and disappearances have been recorded along the eastern pathway between early 2025 and the end of 2025, more than double the counts for the same period the previous year.