At least 22 migrants have been killed and 65 others injured after a lorry they were travelling in overturned in Ethiopia's north-eastern Afar region, authorities say.

About 85 Ethiopian migrants were travelling along the eastern migration route when the lorry overturned in the town of Semera on Tuesday morning, a senior Afar official Mohammed Ali Biedo said in a statement.

Their final destination was unclear but the route typically runs from Ethiopia through Djibouti, across the Red Sea to Yemen, and onward to Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries.

Yemen is a major pathway for migrants from the Horn of Africa travelling to Gulf states in search of work.

A map showing the migrant route from the Horn of Africa to Yemen

Biedo said that 30 of the injured are in a critical condition.

"The accident occurred when a lorry transporting migrants, misled by illegal brokers and unaware of the dangers of their journey, overturned," Biedo said in the statement.

The Afar regional government said it was "doing all the necessary life saving operations" on the injured migrants following the "horrific" accident.

It cautioned Ethiopians, particularly the youth, against the dangers of human trafficking driven by false promises.

"We will ensure that the law enforcement work will continue with the concerned authorities to prevent such tragic events from repeating," the regional government added.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) describes the journey from the Horn of Africa - composed of Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia and Eritrea - to Yemen as "one of the busiest and most perilous mixed migration routes".

Despite the risks, more than 60,000 migrants arrived in Yemen in 2024 alone, many ultimately bound for Saudi Arabia, according to IOM. (BBC)

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