DJIBOUTI: At least 139 people have died, including 15 children, after a migrant boat capsized on Thursday night off the coast of Djibouti en route to Yemen.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) says 82 people, all Ethiopians, have survived while another 84 people are still missing.
A humanitarian response coordinator for the UN agency, Safiya Ibrahim, said it capsized off the port town of Obock.
“On board were women and men, but also children. The provisional toll is particularly heavy,” she said.
“Survivors told me that the boat started to sink backwards as soon as they got in it,” Alexandre Coissac, IOM chief of mission in Djibouti said.
“Our thoughts are with the survivors and the families who have lost loved ones or remain without news of their relatives.”
Personal items, likely belonging to those on the boat, were seen on a beach as search and rescue work continued.
The IOM says it is providing assistance to the survivors, including healthcare and assistance in contacting their families.
Coissac said the tragedy is a “stark reminder” of the dangers migrants face while seeking a new life elsewhere.
He said one survivor told him they came from the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia, where rebels are battling the federal government in a recent flare-up of violence.
Yemen remains engulfed in a devastating civil war but despite the conflict, and growing instability across the wider region, migrants still cross the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
The UN agency says tens of thousands of migrants from the Horn of Africa make the perilous journey each year hoping to reach Gulf countries for safety and work.
Africanews with AFP
