At least 45 people have died and dozens are still missing after two vessels carrying refugees and migrants from Africa sank off the coast of Djibouti, Al Jazeera reports, citing the United Nations’ migration agency.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) stated that the boats, which were carrying a total of 310 people, left Yemen before sinking in the Red Sea. The organization said it is supporting state emergency services in the ongoing search and rescue operations.
According to Djibouti’s coastguard, a joint rescue effort has been underway since early Monday, with 115 survivors now rescued and many still unaccounted for. The boats sank just 150 meters (492 feet) from a beach near the country’s northwest Khor Angar region.
“We remain committed to finding the missing persons and ensuring the safety of the survivors,” the coastguard said in a statement, accompanied by images of white body bags.
This tragic incident is the latest in a series of deadly incidents along the “Eastern Route,” a perilous migration path that tens of thousands of people take each year in search of a better future. In April, at least 38 people, including children, died when their boat sank off the Djibouti coast, and in June, at least 49 people, mostly from Ethiopia and Somalia, perished when their vessel sank after setting off from Somalia.
The IOM has described the Eastern Route as “one of the busiest and arguably most dangerous migration routes in the world,” with refugees and migrants facing threats of drowning, health risks, violence, and exploitation by human traffickers.
The organization’s records show that nearly 400,000 people were recorded making the Eastern Route crossing in 2023, with almost 700 dying or going missing that year. This adds to nearly 1,000 people who have died or gone missing on the route since 2014.
