Addis Ababa: The death toll in the boat capsize off Djibouti coast has climbed to 42, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said.
“At least 42 people have died after a boat operated by people smugglers, transporting approximately 60 migrants escaping conflict in Yemen, capsized on its way to Djibouti in the early hours of Monday morning,” the UN migration agency said in a statement.
At least 16 children were said to be among the deceased, the IOM said. On Monday, the IOM announced that some 34 migrants had died in the incident as they were being transported by human smugglers, Xinhua reported.
Despite the dangers, the number of migrants arriving in Djibouti continues to increase. In March, over 2,343 migrants arrived from Yemen, compared to 1,900 in February, the UN agency said.
The latest boat accident is one of many similar deadly calamities that have occurred on Djibouti’s Red Sea coast area.
In most such incidents, desperate East African migrants attempted to cross the dangerous route hoping to reach the Middle East via war-torn Yemen. They mainly sought to reach Yemen’s northern neighbor Saudi Arabia.
Noting that the conditions of migrants stranded in Yemen have become so tragic that left migrants with no option but to rely on smugglers to return home, the IOM called on all governments along the route to join hands and support its efforts to allow migrants to return home safely.