The United Nations migration agency says two boats carrying over 130 African migrants have sunk off the coast of Djibouti.
According to officials of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), the two vessels were heading to Yemen.
Many migrants continue to embark on dangerous journey hoping to reach some gulf countries to find jobs and better lives.
Djibouti in recent years has become a key transit point for migrants traveling to the Arabian Peninsula for better living conditions.
On Tuesday IOM said in a statement that “After being alerted by local residents, a team of gendarmerie gathered this afternoon near the reported site of the disaster and discovered two survivors as well as the remains of three women and two men”.
A survivor told IOM officials that there were about 130 people on his boat. There are no indications of how many people were on the second boat.
IOM also said in the statement that “The coast guard was also alerted and launched search and rescue operations. Those operations are still underway with two patrol boats”.
Migrant death toll mounts as search continues for survivors of Djibouti boat tragedy.
– Our latest news: https://t.co/oUEyFVe36P #MissingMigrants pic.twitter.com/c0amBWS3V3
— IOM – UN Migration (@UNmigration) January 30, 2019
In 2018 over 30 migrants from Somalia and Ethiopia drowned on their way to Djibouti. Their boat capsized off the coast of Yemen.
Source: Africafeeds.com
