139 people dead, including 15 children, after migrant boat capsizes
"What is terrible is that they were buried with no names, in a common grave, like in a war situation," a U.N. official said.
At least 139 individuals, including 15 children, perished when a migrant boat capsized near Djibouti in East Africa, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Alexandre Coissac, the IOM's chief mission in Djibouti, expressed deep sorrow for the victims and their families. The official death toll includes those buried by authorities, but it does not account for those interred by the migrants themselves, which could alter the count once bodies are verified.
Coissac noted that the migrants set sail from Djibouti in the evening of October 8 and that the vessel sank close to the shore due to overcrowding. Among the deceased were nine girls and six boys. IOM released footage showing the overturned boat and victims' belongings scattered along the shoreline. Coissac visited the site the following day, describing the survivors as in a state of shock, many of whom were Ethiopian nationals.
The agency is providing medical and psychological assistance to the survivors at their rescue center in Obock.
As of now, at least 84 people are still missing, making this one of the deadliest shipwrecks in this perilous route from the Horn of Africa to the Arabian Peninsula. The IOM warned that the death toll might still rise. They highlighted the overcrowded conditions on the boat and the difficulties in identifying the victims, many of whom are believed to have no known names. The organization emphasized the need for safe and legal pathways to prevent such tragic incidents.
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