IOM: Death Toll up to 42 after Migrant Boat Capsizes off Djibouti

Migrants [File: Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters]

The International Organization for Migration said the death toll has risen to 42 after a boat carrying migrants capsized off the Horn of Africa nation of Djibouti early Monday.

Sixteen children were among the dead, spokeswoman Yvonne Ndege said. She said 14 people survived.

“The smugglers have not yet been found,” she said.

Survivors reported that the boat capsized in rough seas at around 4:00 am (0100 GMT) after leaving Yemen with around 60 passengers on board, an IOM official in Djibouti told AFP, asking not to be named.

"The migrants were being transported by people smugglers," Mohammed Abdiker, the IOM's regional director for East Africa and the Horn of Africa, added on Twitter.

"Apprehending and prosecuting people traffickers and smugglers who exploit the vulnerabilities of migrants must become a priority. Too many lives needlessly lost."

There were "many children" among the bodies found, the first official said, adding that survivors were receiving treatment from the IOM and local authorities.

The boat capsized in seas north of the Djibouti port town of Obock, a major transit point for thousands of African migrants in the region.

It follows a similar accident on March 4 when 20 people drowned after smugglers threw dozens of migrants overboard during a journey between Djibouti and Yemen.

At least 200 migrants were packed aboard that vessel when it left Djibouti. But about 30 minutes into the voyage the smugglers panicked about the weight on board, and threw 80 people into the sea before turning back towards land.

Two similar incidents in October claimed the lives of at least 50 migrants.

It is believed thousands of migrants are stranded in Yemen, where a years-long conflict has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced millions in what the UN calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis.