The International Organization for Migration (IOM) announced on Thursday that over 250 migrants are missing following two separate maritime disasters off the coasts of Djibouti and Nigeria.
Rescue operations are ongoing as authorities search for survivors amid these tragic events.
In Djibouti, more than 100 migrants are feared lost after smugglers forced them to jump into the sea off the coast.
The IOM confirmed that at least 45 bodies have been recovered, marking 2024 as one of the deadliest years for sea crossings on the East African migration route to Yemen. Two boats had set sail from Yemen, carrying a total of 310 passengers.
Djibouti’s coast guard has been conducting search and rescue operations to locate the missing migrants. According to survivors, the smugglers operating the boats made the passengers disembark into the open sea near Obock, a coastal town in Djibouti.
The IOM reported that among the rescued was a four-month-old infant whose mother tragically drowned. This incident adds to the growing number of deaths on the perilous migration route from East Africa to Yemen, as desperate migrants seek refuge or better economic opportunities, often falling prey to human traffickers.
Meanwhile, in Nigeria, another disaster unfolded as at least 150 people went missing after a boat sank in the Niger River, in the western Niger State. The boat, which was carrying around 300 passengers, capsized in the Mokwa area late on Wednesday night. The head of Niger State’s Emergency Management Agency, Abdullahi Baba Areh, confirmed that rescue efforts are ongoing to find the missing passengers.
Boat accidents are tragically common in Nigeria, where overloaded and poorly maintained vessels are often used for transporting people across rivers.
The Niger River, one of the country’s major waterways, has seen several similar incidents over the years, with fatalities rising due to inadequate safety measures and overcrowding.
