109 dead, over 116 missing after boat capsizes off Djibouti coast: IOM

ADDIS ABABA -- At least 109 migrants, including 15 children, have died and more than 116 others remain missing after a boat carrying 350 capsized off the coast of Djibouti, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Sunday.

The boat was traveling from Djibouti to Yemen when it capsized during the night between Thursday and Friday. IOM teams are on the ground alongside local authorities to provide emergency assistance, according to the United Nations organization.

"This is a devastating loss of life. Our thoughts are with the survivors and the families who have lost loved ones or remain without news of their relatives," said Alexandre Coissac, IOM chief of mission in Djibouti. "This tragedy is a stark reminder of the dangers faced by migrants along this migration corridor as they seek economic opportunities."

Among the 109 bodies recovered are 52 men, 42 women and 15 children. More than 80 people survived the shipwreck, all Ethiopian nationals, the United Nations migration agency said in its statement released on Sunday, adding that Djiboutian authorities are continuing search and rescue operations as fears grow for those still missing.

Local authorities are also providing medical care to survivors and arranging dignified burials for those who died, according to the statement.

The latest boat accident is one of many similar deadly calamities that have occurred in Djibouti's Red Sea coast area. In most of these incidents, desperate East African migrants attempted to cross the dangerous route, hoping to reach the Middle East via war-torn Yemen, with the main destination being Yemen's northern neighbor, Saudi Arabia.