Migrant boat capsizes off Djibouti, claims 139 lives
At least 139 people, including 15 children, were killed and 84 others remain missing after a migrant boat carrying more than 300 people capsized off the coast of Djibouti, Qazinform News Agency cites Al Jazeera.
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the vessel overturned near Guhere on Djibouti’s eastern coast in the Gulf of Aden while traveling from Djibouti to Yemen. More than 80 survivors, all Ethiopian nationals, were rescued as search and rescue operations continued.
IOM Chief of Mission in Djibouti, Alexandre Coissac, described the incident as a devastating loss of life and said the agency was working alongside local authorities to provide emergency assistance. He noted that the official death toll may rise as additional bodies are verified.
The tragedy occurred along one of the world’s busiest and most dangerous migration corridors. Thousands of migrants from the Horn of Africa attempt the crossing each year in search of employment opportunities in Gulf countries, despite growing instability in the region and renewed conflict in Yemen.
According to the IOM, more than 20,000 people have entered Djibouti from Ethiopia since September, while over half a million migrants traveled along the route to Yemen last year. The agency recorded at least 900 deaths or disappearances on the corridor during that period.
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