Djibouti City (TDI): Rescuers are searching for more than 100 missing migrants off the coast of Djibouti after they were forced to jump into the sea, the International Organisation for Migration has said.
The incident took place on Tuesday when smugglers compelled the migrants to jump into the sea.
At least 45 bodies have been recovered from Tuesday’s incident, according to Reuters.
This death toll makes 2024 the deadliest year on record for sea crossings on the migration route between East Africa and Yemen.
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According to IOM, another 154 people have been rescued from the boats, which left Yemen for Djibouti with a total of 310 passengers.
“Ongoing search and rescue operations are underway by the Djiboutian Coast Guard to locate the missing migrants,” it said.
The so-called eastern route from the horn of Africa to Gulf countries is considered as one of the busiest but also riskiest migration corridor.
Hundreds of thousands people try to enter into the Gulf Region through this route every year.
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More than 8,500 people died on different migration routes globally in 2023 and many more are missing.
2023 was considered as the deadliest year on record. But now in 2024 situation seems worse than the last year.