At least 139 migrants have died and 84 others remain missing after a boat capsized off the coast of Djibouti, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Sunday.
The boat, carrying 305 migrants, was traveling from Djibouti to Yemen when it capsized during the night between Thursday and Friday.
"A vessel carrying numerous migrants attempting to reach Yemen capsized off the coast of Obock, near Guehere and Godoria. Men, women, and children were on board. The preliminary death toll is particularly high and may rise further, as search operations are currently underway," said Safiza Ibrahim, senior protection assistant of IOM.
Djiboutian authorities continue search and recovery operations as fears grow for those still missing.
About 82 people survived the shipwreck, according to a statement issued by the United Nations migration agency on Sunday.
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.
Death toll rises to 139 after boat capsizes off Djibouti coast
