Migrant Disaster in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait: 139 Dead, 84 Missing
At least 139 people, including 15 children, have died and 84 remain missing after a boat carrying more than 300 migrants capsized off the coast of Djibouti while heading towards Yemen.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has reported that at least 139 people, including 15 children, died after a boat carrying more than 300 migrants capsized off the coast of Djibouti. Another 84 people remain missing.
According to the IOM, which based its account on testimonies from survivors, the incident occurred between Thursday night and Friday morning off the Guhere area on Djibouti’s Gulf of Aden coast, near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The boat was reportedly travelling from Djibouti to Yemen with more than 300 migrants on board when it capsized, prompting search and rescue operations in the area. Djiboutian teams rescued more than 80 people, all of whom were reported to be Ethiopian nationals.
Alexandre Coissac, head of the IOM mission in Djibouti, expressed deep sorrow over the loss of life, saying: “Our teams are working on the ground alongside local authorities to provide emergency assistance.”
Coissac also stressed that the reported death toll covers only those whose bodies were buried by authorities in Djibouti. He noted that some migrants had buried other victims, but their remains would not be included in official casualty figures until they had been verified by the authorities.
Search and rescue operations, along with emergency assistance efforts, are continuing in the area.
The Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which is reportedly about 20 kilometres wide at its narrowest point between Djibouti and Yemen, is known as one of the dangerous routes used by thousands of migrants travelling through the Horn of Africa. Djibouti serves as a transit point for migrants heading to Yemen and also provides refuge and a route for thousands of people fleeing renewed violence in Yemen.
