45 migrants dead, 100 missing as two boats sink off Djibouti coast

At least 45 people have died and 111 are still missing after two migrant boats capsized off the coast of Djibouti, an East African country, on Tuesday.

Survivors said the first boat carried 100 migrants while the second had 210 on board — all returning to Djibouti from Yemen.

According to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in Djibouti, the boats capsized after they ran into smugglers at sea.

“Migrants were forced by the Yemenite boat operators to disembark in the open sea and swim. One woman drowned, but her 4-month-old infant survived along with 98 others from the first boat,” an IOM statement issued Wednesday said.

So far, 55 people have been rescued and are receiving medical and psychosocial support, while search and rescue operations by the Djiboutian Coast Guard are under way.

It is the latest boat disaster to hit the route, described as one of the busiest and most dangerous in the world.

Frantz Celestin, IOM regional director, East, Horn & Southern Africa, said the double tragedy is the starkest reminder yet of the urgent need to protect and address the needs of migrants.

“Hundreds have lost their lives this year. We call on the donor community to continue to support IOM’s response, to save lives and address the root causes of the life threatening and dangerous journeys these migrants take. And stop their exploitation by smugglers,” IOM quoted Celestin as saying.

The IOM has marked 2024 as the deadliest year for migrant sea crossings following the incident.

The mishap is also the second deadliest on the Eastern Route sea crossing, following the death of 196 people in June.