KABUL (Pajhwok): At least 139 migrants, including at least 15 children, have died and around 84 others are missing after a boat carrying more than 300 people capsized while travelling from Djibouti to Yemen, the United Nations’ International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said on Sunday.
Reuters reported, citing the IOM, that the boat was carrying 305 people when it capsized near Guhere, north of Obock, a port town in Djibouti, during the night of October 8-9.
Around 82 people survived the shipwreck, the agency 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 trainers washed up on the shore.
“Our teams are on the ground alongside local authorities to provide emergency assistance,” said Alexandre Coissac, the IOM’s chief of mission in Djibouti.
“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 said, adding that local authorities are also providing medical care to survivors and arranging burials for the deceased.
The Djiboutian government could not immediately be reached for comment.
The migrants were heading to Yemen, hoping eventually to reach wealthier Gulf countries, even as Yemeni nationals themselves flee their country amid the most serious escalation in fighting between Saudi Arabia-backed government forces and Iran-backed Houthi fighters since a UN-brokered truce in 2022.
“Despite the violence in Yemen, migrants are still making the perilous journeys hoping to make it to the Gulf countries,” the IOM statement said.
PAN Monitor/sa
