Migrant boat capsizes off Djibouti: at least 109 dead, more than 100 missing
A boat carrying about 350 migrants from Djibouti to Yemen sank overnight on October 8–9. The UN's International Organisation for Migration reports at least 109 dead and around 116 missing.
At least 109 people, including 15 children, have died and about 116 are missing after a boat sank off the coast of Djibouti in East Africa. The vessel went down overnight on October 8–9, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), a UN agency that assists migrants, said on Sunday. The toll of dead and missing is exceptionally high for a single sinking on this route.
What survivors say
According to survivors, the boat was carrying roughly 350 people from Djibouti to Yemen when it capsized north of the Djiboutian town of Obock. More than 80 people survived, all of them Ethiopian nationals.
Who the victims were
Among the 109 bodies recovered were 52 men, 42 women and 15 children: nine girls and six boys.
Aid and causes
IOM teams are working at the scene alongside Djiboutian authorities to provide emergency aid. Alexandre Coissac, the organisation's chief of mission in Djibouti, called the event a devastating loss of life and said the agency's thoughts were with survivors and with families who have lost relatives or are still waiting for news.
The IOM said the tragedy highlights the dangers migrants face along this corridor. People attempt to cross the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to Yemen and then travel on to Gulf countries in search of economic opportunities. The organisation says poverty, insecurity and the growing impacts of climate change push many to make the journey, despite increasing instability across the Middle East.
