139 migrants dead, more than 84 missing after boat capsizes off Djibouti ⁰

At least 139 migrants were killed after a boat sank off the shores of Djibouti overnight on October 8-9, a UN agency said Sunday.

An earlier statement indicated an initial toll of 109 dead including 15 children, with some 116 missing. The updated figure accounts for the discovery of a further 30 bodies, with a total of 84 individuals remaining unspoken for.

Survivors said the vessel – which was carrying 350 people from Djibouti to Yemen – capsized north of the Djibouti town of Obock, according to a statement from the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), whose teams are on the ground alongside local authorities to provide emergency aid.

“This is a devastating loss of life. Our thoughts are with the survivors and the families who have lost loved ones or remain without news of their relatives,” said Alexandre Coissac, IOM chief of mission in Djibouti, in the statement.

He said IOM teams were on the ground alongside Djiboutian authorities to provide emergency aid.

“This tragedy is a stark reminder of the dangers faced by migrants along this migration corridor as they seek economic opportunities” by trying to cross the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to Yemen and then to reach Gulf countries.

Among the bodies recovered were at least 52 men, 42 women and 15 children – nine girls and six boys – the statement said.

More than 80 people survived the shipwreck, all Ethiopian nationals.

“Poverty, insecurity and the growing impacts of climate change drive many to undertake this journey, despite mounting instability across the Middle East,” the IOM said.

Source: AFP