A migrant boat sank off the coast of Djibouti: 139 people died

At least 139 people, including 15 children, died when a boat carrying more than 300 people capsized near the coast of Djibouti. Another 84 people are missing. Al Jazeera reported this, citing the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM).

 

According to a statement issued by the organization on Sunday, the incident occurred on the night from Thursday to Friday, near the Bab al-Mandab Strait in the Gulf of Aden, in the Guhere area on the eastern coast of Djibouti.

 

The boat was traveling from Djibouti to Yemen. More than 80 people survived the disaster. All of them are Ethiopian citizens. Djibouti's search and rescue services continue searching for the missing.

 

According to Alexander Kuissak, head of the IOM mission in Djibouti, the official figures only account for victims buried by the Djibouti government. The bodies of other victims buried by the migrants themselves may be included in the total count once confirmed by the authorities.

 

The Bab al-Mandab Strait is a popular but dangerous route used by migrants traveling from the Horn of Africa to the Persian Gulf countries in search of work and safety. The narrowest part of the strait is approximately 20 kilometers.

 

According to IOM data, more than 20,000 people have arrived in Djibouti from Ethiopia since September 10. Last year, more than half a million people attempted to cross to Yemen via this route. At least 900 of them died or went missing.