At least 139 migrants have died and 84 others remain missing after a boat carrying hundreds of people capsized off the coast of Djibouti while travelling towards Yemen, the United Nations’ International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Sunday.
The vessel was carrying 305 people when it sank near Guhere, north of the coastal town of Obock, during the night of October 8 to 9, according to the agency. The death toll rose from an initial 109 after authorities recovered another 30 bodies.
More than 80 people survived the shipwreck, all of them Ethiopian nationals, the IOM said in an earlier statement. Among the first 109 bodies recovered were 52 men, 42 women and 15 children, including nine girls and six boys.
Search and rescue operations were continuing on Sunday as Djiboutian authorities and IOM teams provided emergency assistance to survivors and searched for those still missing.
“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,” Alexandre Coissac, the IOM’s chief of mission in Djibouti, said.
“Our teams are on the ground alongside local authorities to provide emergency assistance. This tragedy is a stark reminder of the dangers faced by migrants along this migration corridor as they seek economic opportunities,” he added.
The disaster highlights the risks faced by migrants travelling from the Horn of Africa through Djibouti in an attempt to cross the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to Yemen and eventually reach Gulf countries in search of employment and better living conditions.
Tens of thousands of migrants undertake the journey each year, despite the dangers associated with the sea crossing and continuing instability in the region.
“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.
Ethiopians and Somalis make up a large proportion of those attempting the route. Many migrants face difficult conditions during their journeys, while some become stranded in Djibouti before they can continue towards Yemen.
The latest disaster follows another shipwreck off Djibouti in March, when nine migrants died and 45 others were reported missing while attempting the same crossing.
The IOM said its Displacement Tracking Matrix had recorded more than 20,000 incoming movements from Ethiopia into Djibouti since September 10, underlining the continued scale of migration along the route.
The agency has repeatedly warned about the dangers faced by people attempting irregular sea crossings and called for stronger support for search and rescue operations and assistance for vulnerable migrants.
Authorities continued efforts to locate the missing passengers as families awaited information about their relatives following one of the deadliest recent migrant boat disasters off Djibouti.
