At least 139 migrants, including 15 children, died after a boat carrying over 300 people capsized off Djibouti last week, according to the United Nations’ International Organization for Migration (IOM). At the time the vessel sank, it was carrying 305 people, with 84 still remaining missing. Video taken by IOM workers shows shoes and other personal items on a beach near the shipwreck, the reported.
Alexandre Coissac, IOM Chief of Mission in Djibouti, told the AP via phone that the death toll only includes those buried by authorities in Djibouti. Others have been buried by the migrants themselves, but they won't be added to the official count until authorities can verify the bodies. Eighty-two people, all of whom were Ethiopian nationals, survived the incident, IOM said Sunday.
Djiboutian authorities were continuing search-and-rescue operations for those still missing. Among the 109 bodies recovered were 52 men, 42 women and 15 children. The children included nine girls and six boys.
The vessel was traveling from Djibouti to Yemen when it capsized near Guhere, north of the port town of Obock, during the night of October 8-9, according to survivor accounts cited by the IOM. The IOM said it was assisting 64 survivors at its Migrant Response Centre in Obock, providing healthcare, psychosocial assistance, temporary shelter, food and protection services, as well as helping survivors restore contact with their families. Local authorities were also providing medical care and arranging burials for those who died.
Tens of thousands of migrants from the Horn of Africa travel through Djibouti each year before crossing the Bab el-Mandeb Strait toward Yemen, often hoping eventually to reach Gulf countries in search of safety, stability and work, according to the IOM. The organization said poverty, insecurity and the effects of climate change are among the factors driving people to attempt the journey. The risks do not end with the sea crossing.
Migrants who reach Yemen can face violence, arbitrary arrest and detention, exploitation and trafficking, the IOM said, adding that it had recorded more than 20,000 movements into Djibouti from Ethiopia since September 10. Newsweek reached out to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the IOM by email Sunday for further comment. Sea crossings remain among the deadliest migration routes worldwide.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
