AI Image
139 people dead, including 15 children, after migrant boat capsizes off Africa: "Overwhelmed with all the bodies"
CBS News • • general
Key Points:
- At least 139 migrants, including children, died after a boat carrying over 300 people capsized off Djibouti's coast, with many bodies buried in unmarked mass graves and 84 people still missing, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
- The overcrowded vessel sank shortly after departing Djibouti for Yemen on October 8, with more than 80 Ethiopian nationals surviving and receiving medical and psychological aid at an IOM rescue center.
- The tragedy highlights the perilous migration route from the Horn of Africa to the Arabian Peninsula, where tens of thousands seek economic opportunities despite ongoing conflict in Yemen.
- IOM warned that the death toll could rise and emphasized the urgent need for safe and legal migration pathways to prevent such disasters, calling on governments and donors to take action.
- This incident is among the deadliest in recent years along this migration corridor, which saw over 900 deaths or disappearances last year amid an 18% increase in migrant crossings.
