The UN migration agency raised the death toll from a boat sinking off Djibouti to 139 after another 30 bodies were recovered. It reported 84 people still missing and 82 survivors. The boat was carrying people towards Yemen, while rescuers and aid teams continued work around Guhere and Obock on the eastern migration route.
The International Organization for Migration raised the death toll from the Djibouti boat sinking to 139 on Sunday. 30 more bodies had been recovered after the initial count of 109. The UN agency reported 84 people still missing. The casualty figures are IOM’s tally; the initial count included 15 children among those who died.[1], [2]
The boat capsized on Thursday night near Guhere, north of Obock, on its way to Yemen. IOM said 305 people were aboard and 82 survived, all Ethiopian nationals. Djiboutian authorities continued searching, treating survivors and organising burials. Early accounts of the sinking came from people who survived it.[1]
At its migrant response centre in Obock, IOM was helping 64 people with healthcare, psychosocial support, food and shelter. Mission chief Alexandre Coissac said emergency teams were working alongside local authorities.[1]
Migrants travel through Djibouti and cross Bab al-Mandeb towards Yemen and the Gulf countries in search of safety and work. IOM recorded more than 20,000 incoming movements from Ethiopia to Djibouti since early September. More than 900 deaths or disappearances were recorded on this route in the previous year. Fighting in Yemen also sends people in the opposite direction towards Djibouti.[1]
