Dozens die after boat capsizes off Djibouti coast
By Mohamud Bulhan in Godoria & Natasha Booty in London
At least 33 Ethiopian migrants – including an eight-year-old boy – have died after their boat capsized off the coast of Djibouti, officials have told the BBC.
They were among 77 people crossing the Red Sea from Yemen to Ethiopia, the UN’s migration agency reported.
Fishermen alerted coastguards to the tragedy on Tuesday after witnessing some of the migrants drowning.
Rescuers managed to save more than 20 people but others remain missing.
The survivors’ shock and fear was clear to see as they were brought ashore in Djibouti to the town of Godoria and taken to hospital for treatment.
They have since been repatriated to Ethiopia by the UN’s migration agency, the IOM.
Isse Iyah, a senior Djibouti coastguard official, said those who were on the capsized boat had left Yemen because life had been a greater struggle there than in their home country.
Ethiopia’s ambassador to Djibouti, Berhanu Tsegaye, expressed his condolences over the deaths on X, formerly Twitter.
