News|MigrationTruck crash in Ethiopia kills 22 people, dozens hurtThe road accident injured 65 people after the truck carrying migrants and asylum seekers overturned in town of Semera, according to local authorities.
A tragic road accident occurred on a highway in Semera, located in Ethiopia's northern Afar region, resulting in at least 22 fatalities and 65 injuries. The incident involved a cargo truck carrying Ethiopian asylum seekers and migrants, which overturned.…
A tragic road accident occurred on a highway in Semera, located in Ethiopia's northern Afar region, resulting in at least 22 fatalities and 65 injuries. The incident involved a cargo truck carrying Ethiopian asylum seekers and migrants, which overturned. The accident site is several hundred kilometers west of neighboring Djibouti.
According to a statement by the Afar communications bureau, the accident involved citizens who were misled by illegal brokers and unaware of the travel route's dangers. The regional government has been engaged in life-saving operations since the accident and is ensuring that the injured receive medical care at Doubtee Referral Hospital.
Ethiopia is a key departure point on the Eastern Route, used by asylum seekers and migrants from the Horn of Africa, including Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Djibouti, to reach Gulf nations for employment opportunities. Many migrants cross the Red Sea from Djibouti to Yemen, often seeking work as laborers or domestic workers.
A tragic road accident occurred on a highway in Semera, located in Ethiopia's northern Afar region, resulting in at least 22 fatalities and 65 injuries.
Between January and September 2025, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported 890 deaths and disappearances on this route. This figure surpassed the death toll for the same period in 2024 and marked the highest annual toll documented after 2022 and 2023.
The IOM reported a 24% increase in tracked outgoing movements along the Eastern Route from January to September 2025, rising from 283,100 in 2024 to 351,000 in 2025. This increase is attributed to resumed data collection in Yemen and faster transit flows, as well as altered routes to bypass controls in Djibouti and Somalia.
Despite the risks, the Eastern Route remains highly frequented, described by the IOM as the "busiest and riskiest migration route in the world." Ethiopia, Africa's second-most populous country with approximately 130 million people, has more than 40% of its population living below the poverty line according to the World Bank, contributing to migration pressures.
Based on reporting by Al Jazeera.
