IOM: About 280 migrants dead or missing in two boat sinking off Djibouti coast while returning from Yemen

The International Organization for Migration reported that about 280 African migrants died or went missing after two boats sank off the coast of Djibouti, while returning from Yemen.

"The sinking of two ships off the coast of Djibouti has tragically killed 45 migrants, and many are still missing," the organization said in a statement on the X platform on Tuesday.

She added that the two boats left Yemen with 310 people on board, and 32 survivors have been rescued so far.

While the organization did not mention the timing of the incident or the nationalities of the victims, it confirmed that it is supporting government emergency services in search and rescue operations.

Two shipwreck off the coast of Djibouti have tragically left 45 migrants dead with many still missing.

The boats left Yemen with 310 people on board. So far 32 survivors from the have been rescued.

IOM is supporting state emergency services in search and rescue operations. pic.twitter.com/ueVEniVMJF

— IOM Spokesperson (@IOMSpokesperson) October 1, 2024

In the middle of last month, the UN organization announced that it had documented four drowning incidents of African migrants off the coast of Yemen and Djibouti on the eastern migration route, which claimed the lives of at least 123 migrants and left others missing during the period from April to July.

The organization indicated that the recurrence of these incidents throughout the reporting period confirms the risks faced by migrants along the route between the Horn of Africa and Yemen.

Every year, tens of thousands of African migrants, mostly from Ethiopia and Somalia, enter Yemen by sea to reach Saudi Arabia, fleeing conflicts or natural disasters, or seeking better living opportunities, while others who are stranded are forced to return to their countries through dangerous journeys.