Rescue at Sea: The Unwavering Courage of a Yemeni Doctor

Shabwah, Yemen – On 10 June 2024, a boat carrying 260 migrants capsized off Yemen’s coast near Shabwah, resulting in 56 confirmed deaths, with 129 individuals still missing.

Abdulraheem Al Mehdar, a dedicated doctor with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and leader of the mobile medical team in Shabwah for the last eight years, bravely joined the rescue operations in the water to help those fighting for survival.

Abdulraheem recounted his team’s tireless efforts to save lives and support survivors, all while grappling with the personal impact of this tragedy and haunted by memories of a similar event.

“In 2019, strong winds caused a boat to capsize off Shabwah, resulting in the tragic loss of over 150 migrants, with only one survivor. I was the first person he encountered on the shore after enduring 24 harrowing hours at sea.

The survivor recounted how he was travelling with his wife holding their two-month-old baby, while he clung to their two sons, aged two and five, one in each arm. Suddenly, the weather took a turn for the worse, and his wife and baby were swept away in an instant.

Holding onto his two other children, he felt powerless as the boat eventually capsized. In the midst of battling rough waters, he clung desperately to both children until he realized his younger son had stopped breathing. With a heavy heart, he reluctantly released his grip, forced to let him go. Moments later, as the weather worsened, he faced the heartbreaking decision to also let go of his second son.

Though he survived, that event broke him, and me with him.”

Race against time

“According to survivors of the 10 June 2024 incident, the migrants had been travelling for 24 hours and reached the coast of Shabwah around 3:30 am, approximately 2 nautical miles (2.3 miles / 3.7 km) offshore.

At that point, according to the survivors, the smugglers demanded all 260 passengers jump into the sea due to strong winds that were causing the overcrowded boat to take on water and flip over.

A local fisherman who was at sea saw the migrants swimming and immediately contacted me, knowing that the mobile medical team would be able to support.

We arrived at the scene early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw migrants in the water desperately trying to reach land, as bodies started to wash ashore.

Many appeared to be young, aged between 15 and 25, and were now trying to rescue or mourn their companions. The scene was chaotic and harrowing, with people screaming both on the beach and in the water, fighting for their lives for nearly four hours.

Accustomed to such tragedies, I promptly contacted the other staff that are part of the mobile medical team and requested additional support from the city.

Growing up in Shabwah, both our mobile medical team staff and local fishermen are good swimmers. So, without hesitation, we all jumped into the water to rescue people, supported by the Yemen Coast Guard. There was no time to waste; everyone was focused on saving as many lives as possible.

Amid the desperation and chaos, those in the water were terrified and, in their struggle, were inadvertently pulling us under, so we had to approach them from behind to maintain control.”

Perilous crossings

“Between June and August, it’s the worst season to cross, and we typically see fewer boats. Sometimes, crossing can take up to three days due to the weather conditions.

Smugglers are aware of this because as many of them are fishermen themselves, but they still exploit migrants for profit. Despite knowing the risks, migrants also often choose to attempt the crossing anyway.

Smugglers typically drop them off near the shore. However, the fear of interceptions by the coast guard or encountering rough weather sometimes compels them to force migrants to abandon the boat further away from the coastline.”

Humanitarian response

“A second mobile medical team, that operates within a 160-kilometer radius of the incident, arrived shortly after, and together, we provided assistance. Despite the distance, they were on their way as soon as they heard about what had happened, committed to providing support and rotating shifts with the first medical team.

The two IOM mobile medical teams supported the 71 survivors with immediate medical and psychological aid. Each team consists of a doctor, psychologist, assistant doctor, and driver.

Many of the survivors were in shock, either from the distressing experience of survival or the loss of loved ones, or both. A total of 38 survivors required urgent mental health support.

Four additional survivors, who had been swimming throughout the night, were found the following day by a fisherman committed to assisting the group. He had anticipated more migrants would arrive, so he waited on the beach the entire time.

The eight migrants needing further medical attention were discharged a few days later and most survivors have since left Shabwah.

Despite ongoing efforts, more bodies continue to wash ashore as the days pass.

That night, holding my five children tighter, I couldn’t help but think about what would happen if I lost them.

The memories of 2019 flood back; I had hoped never to relive that ordeal.

Even now, my thoughts often go back to that migrant on the beach. I wonder where he is and what has become of him.”