At least 139 migrants, including at least 15 children, have died and around 84 are missing after a boat carrying more than 300 people capsized while sailing from Djibouti to Yemen, the United Nations’ International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said on Sunday.
The boat, carrying 305 people, capsized near Guhere, north of Obock — a port town in Djibouti — during the night of October 8-9, the IOM said, citing survivor accounts.
Around 82 people survived the shipwreck, the statement said. A spokesperson for the Ethiopian government did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Photographs shared by the UN agency showed worn-out sandals and sneakers washed up on the shore.
“Our teams are on the ground alongside local authorities to provide emergency assistance,” said IOM Chief of Mission in Djibouti Alexandre Coissac.
“This tragedy is a stark reminder of the dangers faced by migrants along this migration corridor as they seek economic opportunities,” Coissac said.
Djiboutian authorities are continuing search and rescue operations, the IOM statement said, adding that local authorities are also providing medical care to survivors and arranging burials for the deceased.
The Djibouti government could not be immediately reached for comment.
“Despite the violence in Yemen, migrants are still making the perilous journeys hoping to make it to the Gulf countries,” the IOM statement said.
