ADDIS ABABA: The bodies of 38 migrants, including women, children, and babies, have been recovered after a shipwreck off the Horn of Africa nation of Djibouti, the United Nations’ International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Tuesday, the latest disaster on the so-called Eastern migration route.
The ill-fated boat, carrying approximately 66 people, sank around 200 meters off the coast of Godoria in northeast Djibouti, leaving 22 survivors in need of assistance from the IOM and local authorities.
The IOM’s regional spokesperson, Yvonne Ngede, confirmed the devastating toll of the shipwreck, highlighting the grim reality of migrants embarking on perilous journeys in search of better opportunities. Among the victims were migrants from Ethiopia, with the Ethiopian embassy in Djibouti revealing that around 60 Ethiopian migrants were onboard the vessel, bound for war-torn Yemen.
The treacherous Eastern migration route across the Red Sea to Yemen remains a hazardous passage for tens of thousands of African migrants annually, driven by the desperate pursuit of livelihoods to lift their families out of poverty.
The Ethiopian embassy in Djibouti lamented the loss of lives and issued a stern warning against the dangers posed by human traffickers, urging authorities to take decisive action against them.
The IOM’s Djibouti office revealed that nearly 1,000 migrants have perished or gone missing on the Eastern Route since 2014, underscoring the grave risks faced by those attempting the perilous journey.
