Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Reuters
Reuters
Politics

At least 34 migrants dead as boat capsizes off Djibouti, IOM says

Bodies of suspected migrants who died after their boat capsized are seen arranged after they were retrieved off the Coast of Djibouti April 12, 2021. International Organization for Migration/Handout via REUTERS

At least 34 people drowned when a boat carrying migrants from Yemen capsized off the coast of Djibouti, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said on Monday.

The boat, which was being controlled by people smugglers, is believed to have been carrying 60 passengers, IOM said on its Twitter feed, without providing further details such as when the incident occurred.

Drownings have become common in the waters off Djibouti, and typically involve migrants from Ethiopia or Somalia trying to escape poverty and war at home by finding work in Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates.

They include would-be migrants who have become stranded in Yemen after failing to cross into Saudi Arabia, sometimes due to coronavirus restrictions, and drown on the return crossing.

(Reporting by Duncan Miriri; Editing by Gareth Jones)

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.