Boat carrying migrants capsizes off Djibouti, at least 109 dead
A boat carrying 305 migrants capsized off the coast of Djibouti in East Africa, killing at least 109 people, including 15 children. The International Organization for Migration says at least 116 others are still missing.
At least 109 migrants, including 15 children, have died after a boat capsized off the coast of Djibouti in East Africa. The International Organization for Migration (IOM), a UN-linked agency dealing with migration issues, announced the toll on Sunday. The disaster occurred on the route that leads from the Horn of Africa through Djibouti toward Yemen.
What is known about the incident
According to the IOM, the boat was carrying 305 people and was travelling from Djibouti to Yemen. It overturned during the night between Thursday and Friday. More than 80 people survived, while at least 116 are still considered missing. Rescuers helped the survivors after the vessel sank.
The migration route
Tens of thousands of migrants from the Somali peninsula, hoping for a better life, travel through Djibouti across the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait toward the Gulf states. This migration continues despite the violence in Yemen.
The head of the IOM mission in Djibouti said the tragedy was a stark reminder of the dangers migrants face along this migration corridor. The source does not describe the progress of the search for the missing, so the death toll may change.
